


Unleashed

by bigwolfpup, TiBun



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Bottom Clint Barton, Canon-Typical Violence, Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Avengers, Human Experimentation, Knotting, Lemon, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Nudity, Omega Clint Barton, Past Child Abuse, Smut, Top Bucky Barnes, Werewolf-Typical Violence/Blood, Werewolves, WinterHawk Bingo, nonbinary clint barton, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:35:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 114,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26310493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: Clint Barton was content with his life. Sure, the circus had a dark underbelly that he actively ignored, but he had money in his wallet, a roof over his head, and a place in the big tent's lineup. He didn't see anything changing in the foreseeable future. Little did he know that his choice to completely ignore the illegal activities of the circus troop would cost him everything when the troop turns against him and he finds himself strapped down in a Hydra lab, being injected with something that would change what he was, forever.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 36
Kudos: 136
Collections: Winterhawk Bingo Round Two





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: We do not own any recognizable characters, we only explore the possibilities.
> 
> TiBun's Winterhawk Bingo fill: Shapeshifters AU

* * *

* * *

Clint stayed crouched on his perch high above the crowd gathered in the tent for a show, the ring master directing their attention to each new performance. He knew it all by heart. The way the crowd always reacted to each spectacle, the sounds of animals, the music—he knew it all so well that he didn’t need it anymore, and he had started settling in silence, waiting for his queue which was just as visual as verbal. Because of that, he didn’t bother with his hearing aids, which pressed uncomfortably when he had his mask on.

His costume made up of purple and blue spandex with a hooded mask was, honestly, clownish. Or it would have been considered so if he wasn’t always surrounded by actual clowns—who were all running around the rings below at that very moment, entertaining the children of the audience more than anything. It meant Clint had time. The clowns would finish, they’d bring out the big cats, and then it’d be his turn after that, which would lead into the acrobats since he worked with some of them during his act and it made for a smooth transition.

He turned his gaze towards the audience, scanning over the sea of faces until his gaze caught on a pair of men in fucking suits who did not seem to be enjoying the show at all, nor did it seem like they were just endulging their kids as there were no kids around them that seemed to know them. They were a strange oddity that stole his attention for longer than he thought because when he finally looked away again, the cats were out. Forcing himself to focus back on his job, he gripped his bow and waited, shifting his body slowly to shake off any stiffness that had settled in while he waited.

The cats and their trainer left the ring and the ringmaster stepped forward to give his speech meant to direct attention above. Clint stood on his hidden platform above even the trapeze, and moved to the edge. The ringmaster ended his spiel and tossed a target disk up into the air. Clint tipped forward, letting himself freefall down from the highest point of the big tent, drawing back his notched arrow and letting it loose. It hit the target perfectly in the center, sending the disk back to be pinned into a wooden pole. He twisted around, catching himself on one of the swings with his legs and swinging himself forward to shoot another bullseye in another target that was tossed by another one of the circus members.

Letting his legs go straight he flipped in the air, quickly notching three arrows at once and letting them loose—they also found their marks as he caught himself on another swing with one hand. Where he swung over to the tightrope and hooked his legs around it to let himself dangle and send out a series of arrows at more moving targets. With the sort of grace he only had when performing or practicing, he got up to his feet, walked the short distance to the nearest platform, lazilly notching and releasing arrows at a fixed target as he went, using them to write the letter ‘H’ before he tucked leapt down, tucking and rolling once he got to the ground and as soon as his feet were under him again, he spun around with another three arrows which he shot upwards towards three of the trapeze artists that had moved into place and were starting their act already, each holding a target for him, which he hit just as perfectly as all the rest—while looking in the opposite direction. He then turned, taking his bow to the cheering crowd. The two suits were actually up, clapping and eyeing him in a way that made him feel uneasy.

Once he was out of view of the crowd, he pulled off his mask and ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair that was well overdue for a cut, loosening it so that it fell comfortably around his ears and face. With a sigh, he moved over to where he kept his aids and slipped them in, turning him on and allowing himself to tune into the familiar sounds of the distant crowd and the chaos of performers hurrying to get ready or gossiping after they were finally finished.

“You looked bored. You finally get some acrobats to agree to that final stunt and you’re already bored with it?” a voice says, catching his attention.

“Maybe I need flaming arrows for it.” Clint smirked, turning around to face his older brother, Barney.

“Yeah, they’ll never go for that. They know you’re good but they wouldn’t trust the fire element.”

“What spoil sports.” Clint smiled and rolled his shoulders, “I’m going back to our trailer to change, then we can hunt down some dinner together?”

“Sure kid, I’ll meet you by the food stalls.”

Clint nodded and jogged away, eager to get into more comfortable clothes and get something in his stomach.

Once he got to the trailer, he stripped out of his costume and pulled on a worn purple shirt with a hole near the hem, and a simple pair of grey sweatpants. He put his bow away where it was safest and dug his wallet out of where he kept it hidden, just in case they decided to wander into town for food instead of sticking at the circus. Glancing around, he decided to grab the worn jacket he’d found left in the stands of the big tent one night after a show. It fit him well enough and had been better than the one he’d been using previously, so he’d kept it. It’s original owner hadn’t come back to look for it at all before they left that town, anyway.

Hopping out of the tiny trailer that was hardly big enough for two boys, let alone those same boys all grown up, Clint looked up at the sky as he let himself stretch again. The evening was calm if he tuned out the music and roar of a crowd in the distance where the carnival was set up for locals to come and enjoy the spectacles, overpriced food, and rigged games. The moon was full, shedding it’s full light down to the back area where camp was set up, only a few lazy clouds slowly drifting by made a halfhearted attempt at dimming her calming white light. Clint enjoyed nights like this. The air always felt crisper and smelled fresher—if he wasn’t too close to the animal cages.

Humming a tune that he was sure was from the Disney’s Robin Hood movie that he’d seen as a little kid between his parent’s house and the circus, he strolled along the trailers , weaving between them as he made his way back towards the noise and lights of the carnival.

He turned the corner around the trailer that belonged to Maynard Tiboldt; the ringmaster himself, and the only person with his own trailer, though it doubled as his office, so Clint always shrugged off the jealousy that he got his own space while everyone else were doubled, or even tripled, up together.- and stopped in his tracks as he spotted the two suits walking towards him. He sighed and started forward once more, “Sorry, this is a restricted area—carnies only.”

“We have an exception.” one of the men said, waving off the polite scolding.

Clint frowned, “Even if you have some sort of meeting with the Ringmaster, the show’s still going on. You’d best wait by the big tent.”

“We’re here for you, actually.” the second man said.

“Sorry, I only sign autographs for cute kids.”

“We have a proposal for you, Clinton Barton.”

Clint cringed, “No need for the ‘on’. And I’m not interested in whatever you’re selling.”

“You misunderstand, the proposal is not a question of yes or no, it’s a matter of being willing or making us do this the hard way. Either way, you’ll be coming with us.”

Clint narrowed his eyes, stiffening his shoulders as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up in warning. He wished his instincts had been faster. Stupid hairs on the back of his neck doing the thing so late. Now he’d end up in a fight and he was not looking forward to any fresh bruises that might affect his movement.

“Yeah, not a fan of those options, sorry.” Clint said before the two men made their move and he jumped back out of their way, dodging them and twirling like a dancer to avoid them.

“You’re really not dressed for this. Suits look nice and all, but they do nothing for your movement.” He laughed. Maybe getting away without bruises would be possible after all. The two suits were morons who had no idea what they were doing. It was fun, like a game he used to play with Barney a long time ago, and he flipped back, using his acrobatic skills to maneuver himself gracefully up onto the roof of the Ringmaster’s trailer.

“You know, I’d love to stay and entertain you boys longer, but the show is over.” he smirked, moving to take an over dramatic bow before something suddenly was brought down over his head and he grunted, falling off the trailer and to the ground at the suits’ feet. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head, “The fuck?”

“You’re going with them, Baby Barton.” Jacques said, hopping down from the trailer. “Ringmaster’s orders.”

Buck walked out of the shadows as well, “You have skills, but you don’t have what it takes here. You know the rules. Everyone works, everyone pulls their weight, or they leave.”

“I do my part plenty.” Clint grouched, pushing himself up.

“You refuse to help in the way it really matters.” Jacques said.

“I do everything asked of me except the illegal stuff! I don’t rat you out so it’s fine!”

“Tsk, tsk, Baby Barton,” Buck shook his head, “That’s the part of working here that really matters. We let you stay out of it when you were a snotty brat, but you’re well past that age. Past the time you should be helping when told to. Now, I’m afraid, you’ve run out of time. Plus you know too much so we can’t leave you to run for the cops, so the Ringmaster set a solution up with some old contacts of his father.”

Clint grit his teeth, glancing around for an escape and spotting Barney, “Barney! Hey, I could use a little hel—”

“Sorry, kid.” Barney smirked, “I’ve been able to do what was asked of me here, and it’s never been right that I’ve been in my baby brother’s shadow. Getting the spotlight only when you happen to be sick and unable to perform.”

Clint’s eyes widened and his heart sank—even broke with the betrayal and abandonment he felt from the one person he had thought would _always_ be by his side. “But...we’re family…”

“Don’t act like you still need me, Clint. Not when you decided you were better than me.”

“But I never thou—aw fuck you too…” Clint started to protest only to feel a sharp prick in the side of his neck and almost instantly his words began to slur and his vision began to spin as his legs gave out underneath him.

He’s not sure what had happened, or was happening, but he blinked twice before his eyes refused to open again and the world around him went blank.

* * *

Clint came back to himself very slowly, his head throbbing, his mouth dry, and vision blurred the first few times he tried to open his eyes. His body felt heavy and barely made an effort to move when he tried to.

Above him was a bland tile ceiling with a bright white fluorescent light dangling down. Under him was a cold metal that was just starting to warm up under his skin, telling him he hadn’t been there long.

He tried to swallow and parted his lips to let out a groan. The groan wasn’t what he’d been going for, but it’s certainly what came out

“Ah, good, you’re awake now,” A voice said from somewhere in the room Clint was in. “I insisted that we tie you up and do this before you woke up, but they wanted you to be awake for this. Something about the instincts taking hold better if you were conscious.”

Metal bars came out from the slab of cold metal Clint had been laying on, and they wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and torso, effectively strapping him down to the table.

“Fuck...what even is this?” Clint’s voice came out weak and scratchy, his tongue thick and clumsy in his mouth, “What fucked me up? I feel like shit…and what even are you talking about instincts for?” It hurt to talk, the vibrations of sound grinding against his dry throat.

“Stop talking, and this will go smoothly.” The voice moved to another part of the room, speaking out once again. “Is the serum ready?”

“Yes,” another voice said. “Make sure it goes into the gland on his neck, otherwise this will be a failure.”

“I know that, I still think we should have done this while he was out so he couldn’t fight back.”

“Just numb him up then, if you’re worried about him fighting back. We don’t have a lot of time to do this before the boss comes with the asset.”

The first person sighed, then moved into Clint’s line of sight. “Don’t move, this will pinch.” 

Something sharp was jammed into Clint’s neck, a deep red fluid flowing into the blond in quite a painful manner. 

“Gosh, I hate needles.” Clint winced, unable to move more than small twitches. He couldn’t even manage to turn his head to the side thanks to whatever he’d been drugged up with when his circus troop..his own brother—gosh, that made his heart hurt more than anything else—had betrayed him. He sucked in a breath and glanced at the person injecting him with even more shit he doesn’t want in his body. He doesn’t know what it is, he just knows that he doesn’t want it. Harmless or not, and it’s most likely not, there’s this thing called consent and no one has even asked him if he wanted to be fucked by some drug-serum-shit.

“Can you stop? This might not be sex but consent is still a huge thing when it comes to doing things to someone’s body, and I really don’t like this. Zero out of any ranking, not into this kink, thanks bye, I’ll be going now.”

“God, does this guy ever shut up?” the second unfamiliar voice mumbled.

“We’re almost done for now,” the first told Clint. “Just a little more serum…. And there, all done.” 

The needle was pulled out of Clint’s neck, and the first person stepped away, taking off the mask they had on. “Don’t move,” they spoke again. “That should kick in within a few minutes, and I’d like to return to you still on this table in one piece”

“What is that stuff? Why wouldn’t I be in _one piece_ ? Hey! What is it going to do to me?! I’m not going to explode am I? Fuck, you injected me with a liquid bomb, didn’t you? You’re god-damned mad scientists, aren’t you?” Okay, so maybe he was starting to panic, but the guy _did_ say he might not be in one piece when they came back…

“Holy fuck, just shut up!” The second voice screamed before the harsh sound of a metal door slamming filled the room.

It was quiet for a bit, then the first voice spoke via an intercom, their voice louder than necessary, but at least Clint would be able to hear it no matter where he was in the room. “Subject Barton’s test countdown begins now. Don’t worry, it’s not a bomb. Just try not to tear yourself up too bad if you do get out of control.”

“That most certainly is not my first name.” Clint grumbled. Shutting up was not something he was good at on any normal day, and this day his mouth was the only thing he could seem to run. His body sure refused to do much more than twitch. He felt desperate for control over any part of the situation, so his mouth was that part he could control. Annoying the evil mad scientists might not be in his best interest, but he felt it’d be worse if he just shut up and let them fuck his body up with their red science drug stuff.

“You know, the least you could have done after knocking me out was give me coffee to help this headache. Maybe some pizza. My stomach’s so empty—Your suit dudes didn’t even let me get dinner before they nabbed me. Don’t know how long I’ve been out but I’m guessing it’s at least been hours. And hey, can you turn on a fan? Fancy AC if you got it? It’s getting really hot in here…” he rambled as he began to sweat—very quickly. It was alarming how quickly his clothes had become drenched in it, making him all the more uncomfortable.

“Are you trying to cook me alive in here? You cannibal mad scientists? No way I taste good—I eat mostly junk! I—fuck, just how hot is it in here?”

“The serum is working,” the voice spoke, not really to Clint. “Partial shifting should begin in roughly three minutes. You’ll feel warmer until the serum is accepted into your bloodstream.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clint grit his teeth as his body continued to heat up until it felt like there was fire in his veins, forcing him to cry out, and his body finally moved more than twitches, straining against the restraints binding him to the table.

“Makeitstop!” he screamed, thrashing around as best he could. His head lifted up and knocked back down, dislodging one of his hearing aids from his ear.

His vision flickered, not completely, but it seemed more like some of the colors on the equipment around him had dulled away before flickering back. Fuck, whatever it was they were doing, it was messing with his eyes.

He screamed again, if only for his frustration of not being able to do anything else, and he dug his fingers down into the metal of the table, feeling like they had punctured through instead of being stopped. If his mind wasn’t overwhelmed by the fire inside him, he would have wondered more about how breakable the table was.

“Partial shifting is successful,” the voice said, now entirely too loud for what was appropriate in that room. “Two more minutes until the serum is properly accepted into the bloodstream.”

“FUCK OFF!” Clint screamed, straining his arms to move so he could cover his ears. There was no reason why anything should sound so loud to his ears. Even with the aids, nothing ever seemed too loud outside of a hangover.

The restraints on his wrists moaned in protest as they started to warp under the strain of Clint’s pulling, but they didn’t give, and Clint banged his head a few more times, the other aid falling out and bouncing right off the table and across the floor. Sound was muted, but not near silent as it ought to have been, and his vision flickered in that strange way once again.

He bit down on his tongue accidentally, his teeth feeling far too sharp, and he suddenly could only taste blood. He didn't know if that was better or worse than the stale dryness that had been there before.

He cried out again, but the sound came out a little more animalistic than human, and he lifted his body off the table, the bands binding him giving way just a little more before he fell back down, the fire inside suddenly gone, leaving him panting and feeling weak.

“Serum has been accepted, phase one of testing is complete. Good job Barton, we’ll be back with food in a bit. For now, just relax and focus on breathing. If you suddenly start to feel warm again, don’t fight it. The serum may make you shift fully before you’re ready to do it willingly.”

Clint let out a weak whimper as he tried to focus his mind again, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing. His entire body hurt, but at least the world was blissfully quiet, his hearing back down to what he expected.

“Yup, I hate these people…” He muttered to himself, wishing he could curl up. His gut was cramping.

It was a long while before anyone came back to the room Clint was being held in. It may as well have been hours, because Clint was left alone for a very long time, no one speaking over the intercom that he knew of, and no sounds of movement coming from outside the door. It might have even been the next day when someone finally came into the room, a black and red uniform with Hydra’s logo on the sleeve making the visitor look threatening. Not that Clint hadn’t seen Hydra agents before, but this one just seemed to scream dangerous with just the way they walked in carrying a tray with food and water. No coffee, to Clint’s dismay.

“Breakfast,” the agent said in a rough tone. They retracted the metal strips that had bound Clint to the table, surprised that they had not completely broken in the time Clint had been left alone. “Sit up.”

Clint frowned at the man, even as he allowed himself to curl up into a ball that didn’t exactly help the cramping, but it made him feel better to be able to try. “Can’t hear. Don’t wanna read your ugly lips.” he husked out in his rough voice.

The man sighed and set the tray on the table next to Clint’s face. It had some eggs and sausage, but also a rather large slab of raw meat, as if Hydra expected Clint to eat a raw steak for breakfast. The man then bent down and picked up the hearing aids that had fallen to the floor, putting them in for Clint forcefully. 

“Breakfast,” he stated again. “Eat, or the pain will get worse.”

“Ak! Geeze, you hug your mother with that level of gentleness?” Clint grumbled, eyeing the plate of food, “Geeze, I heard some people like meat rare but that’s practically mooing. Ever hear of a grill?” He reached for the water, eyeing it and sniffing it as he didn’t quite trust these people not to give him even more pain-causing drugs in his water. It seemed fine so he took a sip, relaxing when it soothed his mouth and throat.

"Hydra isn't gentle, get used to it," the man said. "The steak is for you after you shift fully. Full shift should happen some time today."

“What the hell is Hydra? And what do you mean shift fully? What’s shifting?”

“Classified information. You’ll know what we want you to know and when we want you to know it. Now eat before I get yelled at. You can keep the steak in here, but I have to watch you eat everything else. You’re not allowed to keep anything we bring in here for you.”

Clint pushed himself up and looked down at the plate of food again. No fork. Apparently he was expected to eat like a toddler; grabbing fistfulls of eggs to stuff his mouth. The situation would have been slightly amusing if he wasn’t so miserable already from the shock of betrayal and the pain he was forced to suffer.

“So what, you my babysitter now?” He asked, poking an egg with his finger. It looked overcooked.

“I’m your overseer, or your guard if you prefer that. I make sure you don’t escape and you behave, now eat.”

“Pretty hard to escape when I really only have the energy to drag myself across the floor like a slug.” He looked back up at the man, “If you want to make your job more exciting you’ll bring me coffee, then I could try to make attempts.”

“I will ask if they will give you coffee, but it won’t be much.” The man sighed impatiently. “No more questions, just finish your food so I can leave.”

“Yeah I’m not really good at keeping quiet. Get used to it, mister babysitter.” Clint poked the eggs again, “It’s not drugged or poisoned is it?”

“No, it’s not, we wouldn’t drug a test subject unless it was for a test. We’re literally just giving you food.”

“And what am I supposed to do to eat this, use the sausages as chopsticks? I’m not great at using those things, you know.”

“Use your damn fingers, it’s not that hard. Or fucking shift already and I can just leave you to eat.”

“I still don’t know what you want me to shift!” Clint snapped as the door opened and another lab coat walked in, her high heels clicking on the floor.

“We need a blood sample to find out what gender he is. Make sure we use the right setting when we put him in the chair. I’ll need you to hold him still for me.

“It’s sweet of you to want to make sure you’re not misgendering me and all, but I’m pretty sure you don’t need a blood test for that. I’m just a boring guy born with a penis who identifies as a boring guy with a penis. My pronouns are he, him, and purplemazing.”

The man who had brought Clint his food nodded, grabbing Clint once he moved to behind the blond. His arms wrapped around Clint’s shoulders, and with Clint being so weak, there wasn’t a chance he was going to budge out of the man’s grip. “Don’t move, or you’ll bruise,” he growled.

“We got a betting pool going over the results of this, want in?” the lady asked as she readied Clint’s arm to have blood drawn, completely ignoring Clint’s complaints. 

“I bet 500 on omega. No fucking way this one’s an alpha.”

“The fuck you talking about?”

“Some of the higher ups are hoping for that. Easier to control that way. A cycle would be annoying to deal with, but that’s the trade-off I guess.” she pulled the needle back out of Clint’s arm, “I’ll have them put down your bet.” she said, leaving without even putting one of those tiny band aids on the now bleeding spot on his arm. 

“What, no band aids with cartoons on them?” Clint called after her, just to be annoying.

“Shut up and finish your breakfast,” the man said as he shoved Clint forward. “Don’t ask any more questions, or I’m knocking you out.”

“Hard to eat when it’s lights out, you know.” Clit said as he picked up a sausage. 

“Exactly, and you just lost some blood, so you need to eat. Faster.”

“Pushy, pushy, what am I making you late for some hot date?” Clint asked, biting into the sausage.

"No, but you've got one with the asset, who's been waiting on you for I'm sure several minutes now, and he gets pissy when you keep him waiting too long."

“Asset? What kind of name is that? Do people call him Ass for short? Did his parents not want kids?”

"If you call him an ass, your face is going to get ripped off by him personally. We call him the asset to keep him loyal." The man grumbled and dumped the rest of the food into the metal table. "Finish up, the asset will be here shortly."

With that, he left with the tray and glass of water, the leftover eggs, sausage, and steak sitting unappealing on the table.

Before the man walked out the door with the tray, Clint grabbed up a sausage and whipped it at him, smacking him square in the back of the head. “You could have at least separated the raw thing from the edible stuff, jerk babysitter!”

The man growled and slammed the door closed, leaving Clint alone once more.

Clint sighed, looking down at the mess of food next to him, “Seriously, why raw? It’s like they want me to get food poisoning or something...” he mumbled to himself, picking at his food around what was touching the raw meat.

Clint was left alone for several more hours. No one came to check on him, though it was highly likely he was being watched from wherever people were watching him after they injected him with the serum. Since no one physically checked in on him, the room was rather silent, allowing sounds from outside to slip through the heavy door that kept the blond caged in the room. Occasionally there were voices, some people talking about test results and time, and perhaps that was the only way Clint could tell the passage of time. 

When he figured it was about the middle of the day, the lady who had taken Clint’s blood earlier came with a tray of food, this time carrying eating utensils with her.

“I have your lunch. And I see you didn’t eat the steak we left earlier.” After setting down the tray, she wrote something down on the clipboard she had tucked underneath her arm.

“Kinda prefer my meat cooked.” Clint shrugged.

“In this form, yes. We brought another steak in case you will prefer a fresher one in your other form, which I’m a bit surprised hasn’t showed itself yet. Perhaps the serum didn’t fully work…” She hummed in thought. “Anyways, I brought a fork this time, so you could feel a little more human while eating in this form.”

“What do you mean by my other form? You people keep saying things that make no sense.”

Clint pulled over the tray of food. He didn’t end up eating a lot that morning, so he was willing to behave more than being a stubborn little shit, at least until he’d finished the cooked food he was offered.

“We’ve injected a shifting serum into you. A few other test subjects have received the same treatment, but they didn't last as long as you have, so consider yourself lucky.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m dumb and never graduated high school, but I still have no idea what you’re talking about. Forms, serums, shiftings...these words have no meaning without context. All I know is that you people have drugged me and injected me with torture before trying to feed me raw meat.”

"Oh, they didn't explain to you before I came in for the day. Allow me to explain then. We've created a line of shifting blood, and so far we've had varying success with a few species. What we injected you with is wolf shifting blood, along with a few other things to allow your own blood to accept the shifting blood. The wolf shifting blood has been the most troublesome. Some subjects are able to shift with ease, others with quite a bit of pain, and others had shifted and never turned back to human. Those are all just the successful ones. There's been several failed subjects who died within 24 hours of being injected with the serum. In hindsight I suppose most of those are failed as well. Either they turn permanently wild animal or they die eventually. Only one has been fully successful. We’re having difficulties with replicating those results."

“Wait—What?” Clint’s eyes were wide and he dropped his fork of food back onto the tray with a clatter, “You can’t just—people are dying? I’m pretty sure there are laws this violates! I—wolf? What the fuck horror sci-fi place is this?!”

"Calm down, or you may shift before your body is ready," the woman tried. "Your father trusted us, we're not going to do anything to intentionally hurt you."

“Who the fuck do you think my father is? That drunken asshole died when I was a little kid, and he took my mom with him. I have no father!”

"Well, your brother also trusts us, and he actually requested that we return you to him if testing was successful."

“Barney knew what you were going to do to me? And he still let you have me?” Clint didn’t know his heart could break even more by the betrayal of his brother. Even if Barney wanted these people to ‘give him back’, the younger Barton boy didn’t want to see his brother again. Not after he was betrayed in such a way.

Clint didn’t know if he believed the whole wolf thing, even for mad scientists, it sounded too fake, so maybe the wolf thing was just the name of the drug-serum-thing they were testing? Pretty shitty stuff, really. No high, and all pain. He hoped they wouldn’t test it on him again. It was giving him a headache just thinking about it.

“He approached us and we gave him the details. He agreed only if we gave you back to him every so often, so that’s what we’re going to do once we have you under control. There’s no need to be upset about this, we’re enhancing you so you’ll be better at pulling your weight.”

“They wanted me to walk into a situation where I might be required to kill people. I refused, and I’ll continue to refuse even if I wanted to go back to that crime-ridden circus! Which I don’t. I _won’t_.”

“Your brother seems to think differently,” the lady said, writing something else on her clipboard. “We’ll leave you alone to eat this time, just don’t try to escape. Also take this.” She pulled out a standard orange medication container that held only one pill in it.

“What is it?” Clint asked, eyeing the container. Did they really think he’d willingly take a drug they put in front of him after torturing him with injected drugs?

“It’s a muscle relaxer, so your shift won’t be as painful as we expect it to be, and we expect the full shift to happen at some point today.”

“You really expect me to believe this ‘shift’ stuff?”

"Yes, you partially shifted after you were injected with the serum. That's what all the pain and burning was. Did you notice the punctures in the table you were laying on? They were caused by your claws digging into the metal."

“Probably were there before me.” Clint shrugged.

“The table was brand new when you got here. We get new tables for new subjects. You made those punctures, and if we can trigger your shift, you’ll have a better time believing me.”

“Fuck, this conversation’s giving me a headache. Look, I appreciate answers but could do without the impossible shift thing. Humans can’t turn into non-humans in real life.” Clint said, closing his eyes and rubbing them to try and push away the throbbing behind his eyes as he waved his fork-wielding hand in the air.

He took in a breath and let it out before opening his eyes and blinking a few times. His vision was off again, and he frowned looking around until it clicked when he spotted the hem of his purple shirt—which looked more like a blue shirt. Red. the red spectrum of his vision had just decided to stop working.

“Aw, purple, no...don’t leave me.”

“Sounds like another partial shift is occurring, or your full shift is starting,” the lady reasoned. “Take that muscle relaxer before it gets too far, and I’ll leave you alone. Try not to tear up much if you can help it.”

“What did you do to my eyes? Why…” Clint rubbed them, hoping that would fix what he was seeing. His shirt was still blue. “Fuck!”

Clint scrubbed his palms into his face before pressing them to his temples, hard, opening his eyes as he tried to will colors to turn back to normal. His shoulder jerked with a painful crack and he couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him.

The lady winced and grabbed the bottle, tucking it into the pocket of her labcoat. “Well, I suppose it’s too late for you to take this and have it work. Stay calm, but you’re going to hurt a lot here in the next couple minutes.”

Grabbing the radio she had strapped on near her shoulder, she spoke into it, speaking to other agents of Hydra. “We’ve got a shift happening now. Couldn’t get Barton to take the muscle relaxer, things might get ugly.”

“Wait! Wh-what’s happ— _ah!_ ” Clint’s body contorted and he twisted, falling off the table onto the floor, his body lifting up and slamming back down as it felt like bones were breaking and refusing together all wrong. His aids fell out again, landing on the floor under him and he cried out, the sound turning into something more _animal_ half way through, and hair—no, fur?—that matched the color of his hair started growing out of his skin as his clothing ripped and fell off him and his shoes left behind easily, though his purple socks stayed, clinging loosely to his legs.

He screamed, but it came out a howl, and he fell to the floor once the pain finally stopped, panting heavily and letting out a whine that reminded him of a sad puppy more than anything. And he _could_ hear it. It was still muffled, and not quite loud and clear, but he was able to hear it without his aids.

He whimpered and curled up, a _tail_ of all things smacking him in the nose.

 _That_ caught his attention, and he looked over what he could see of his body.

‘ _I’m...I’m a dog?_ ’

"Interesting," said the lady, who had moved to stand a good distance back. "Blond wolf with blue eyes, smaller than the asset. And scared. Don't think we've had any tests result in a scared shifter."

"Shifting phase is complete," a booming voice said over the intercom, the man who had originally given Clint the serum. "Leave him for a bit, and we should have the results of those blood tests in."

Clint whined again, lifting his hands—paws—up to cover his now pointed and rather fluffy ears. The booming voice far too loud to the man—dog?—who had lived most of his life with hearing problems.

Sighing, the lady left the room, noting something else on her clipboard. She barely made it out the door before the man on the intercom met her and discussed the test results, their voices loud enough to be heard by Clint.

"It's like most of us thought. Definitely an omega," the man said.

"That would explain why he's smaller than the asset. But we can't make them fight now, Barton would get his throat ripped out, and his brother _won't_ be happy with us, not to mention the higher-ups."

"Since Barton is an omega, I doubt the asset will attack. In that room is the only omega wolf we've successfully created, and if the asset is the first alpha we introduce to Barton, I have a feeling there will be a much different reaction."

"The asset isn't interested in that," the lady argued. "We've tested it, he doesn't want anything to do with a mate."

"He hadn't been introduced to a real omega yet."

The man barked out orders to a couple of agents who were nearby. "Bring the asset. We're introducing them in half an hour."

"Sir, this isn't a good idea," the lady argued again.

"Barton will not end up dead, now get him ready for the asset."

Sighing, and being left by herself in the hallway, the lady entered Clint's room again. "Get up," she commanded.

Clint let out a whine and as she drew closer, he scampered to back away, his legs flailing ungracefully. Fuck, how was it that having _more_ legs made it more difficult to move? How did the furry things even work? After some more flailing that fully dislodged one of his socks from his back paw, he managed to successfully back himself up into a corner, head low and ears flat against his head.

"Jesus, you're not even close to being ready to face the asset," the lady mumbled. "Come here, let me show you how to walk around properly."

‘ _No!_ ’ Clint tried saying, but it came out an unsteady bark so he tried shaking his head as he pressed himself tighter into the corner.

"I can't understand your barking, now please come here. Just move your paws one at a time, like how you crawl on your knees."

‘ _You should have thought of that before you turned me into a dog! Just because I like dogs and always wanted a dog doesn’t mean I want to_ **_be_ ** _a dog!_ ’ Clint barked, stubbornly staying in his corner.

"Oh my god…" The lady sighed and grabbed the fresher steak, holding it up for Clint to see. "Come here and you'll get this."

Clint wanted to ignore her; offended by her tactic, but...the smell of meat caught his nose and it was—tempting. Something in the back of his mind focused on the steak, urging him forward, nose in the air and sniffing as he took slow, careful, and untrusting steps forward.

"There you go," the lady said with relief in her voice. "It's okay, this is all yours once you're over here."

Eventually, Clint was infront of her, like she wanted, eyes and nose both zeroed in on the steak that dangled from her hand.

"Good boy. At least you'll have something in your stomach when the asset comes..." Carefully, the lady lowered the meat so it was level with Clint's head, allowing the blond to take it when he wanted.

Clint’s eyes flickered between the steak and the woman a few times before he moved, taking it with his teeth and hurrying back to his corner where he sat down to devour it.

 _Wait, what was he doing?_ Clint seemed to realize what he did only after the steak was gone and he found himself licking his chops and the floor where it had sat before it was gone.

"Do you want the other steak? You ate that one rather fast." The lady grabbed the other and held it up like she had the last one. "You'll need as much as you can eat if they plan to have you meet the asset… god I hope he doesn't get territorial."

 _No!_ He didn’t want another raw steak, but his human mind seemed to be taking a back seat as he moved close again, faster this time, and took the steak. However, he did manage to let some of his annoyance at the situation show through his actions when he dropped the steak right onto her foot before he settled down to start eating it.

"Good you're getting comfortable. Hopefully you'll just get more so as time goes on."

Checking the time, along with hearing voices down the hall, the lady sighed again and moved towards the door. "Get ready to meet another shifter," she warned, looking nervous. "He might be aggressive, so be prepared."

Clint rolled his eyes, wondering what would be the doggy equivalent of flipping the bird.

The voices down the hall soon got louder, normal talking volume turning to shouting and some screaming. Along with the voices were growls and aggressive barks that echoed off the walls and sounded much louder than they actually were. Quick and heavy footsteps approached the room and then suddenly a huge wolf with fur a very dark brown, nearly black, appeared in the doorway. Its ears were forward, tail straight out, the front left leg replaced by a series of metal plates that had a red star painted where the shoulder was supposed to be.

The lady who had been with Clint gasped and stepped out of the way, not wanting to interfere with the asset, especially when it seemed the wolf did not have its collar on that was used for behavioral training.

Clint’s eyes stuck to the other wolf. He—the asset, apparently—was intimidating and that something in the back of Clint’s mind urged him to submit. That this wolf was in control; the _leader_.

Clint’s tail was between his legs and he backed up again, head even lower than before when he was scared and backing himself into a corner.He even let out a pathetic whine to show he wasn’t going to do anything to challenge the asset’s position.

The asset's intense blue eyes stared at Clint for a long time, then the wolf huffed out a few words that only the blond could understand.

_'Can you run?'_

‘ _I think so? Haven't tried. They only made me walk.’_ Clint admitted, ‘ _You aren’t going to make me run before you kill me, are you?_ ’

The asset moved closer, growling before he was right in Clint's personal space, playing up that he was being aggressive.

_'We're escaping. Follow me, run as fast as you can, don't look back for any reason.'_

‘ _Uh, yeah...yeah, sounds good. I’ll do what I can.’_ Clint said, finding himself down low and tilting his head to bare his neck as he looked up at the—alpha. This wolf was an alpha. The thing in his mind supplied him that much when he caught his scent.

Barking aggressively, the asset turned and sprinted out of the room, shoving most of the people in lab coats down so Clint had time to get out of the room before someone could catch him.

Clint yelped, surprised there was no ‘ready, set, go’, as he took chase, running past the topled lab coats a bit awkwardly, but he was quick to get used to how his paws worked under him. He wasn’t as fast as the alpha, but he did his best to keep up.

The asset was fast, quick to take down any lab coats in their way so Clint could just focus on running. The shouting behind them was getting softer the further away from the room they got, but alarms were blaring, and there were more people closing in on them. Luckily the asset knew where to go to avoid most of the lab coats, turning down hallways left and right to dodge as many people as possible. He had been lucky to escape without his collar on, otherwise, the chase would have been long over. Hydra would have captured them, and they’d be back to square one. 

Growling, the asset was forced to come to a screeching halt, a line of armored agents rushing out in front of him and Clint, guns aimed at them. It only took a split second for the asset to lunge forward and jump up to lodge his teeth into the neck of one agent, ripping out the throat before working on knocking down all the others.

 _‘Go!’_ He snarled. _‘Run straight, don’t look back!’_

Clint wanted to hesitate, wanted to ask about the alpha, or offer to help; he’d barely met the guy, and he was already worried for him. But the tone the asset used made that little part in the back of his mind take over again, listening to exactly as he was told and he ran straight forward, not turning back to look. He had to dodge a few people a few times, some of them wielding cattle prods, and one of them managed to get him, causing a pained yelp, and he reacted automatically, sinking teeth into the person’s arm until they dropped it and he continued running.

It wasn’t long before the asset caught up to Clint, surging ahead with blood dripping off his muzzle and his sharp eyes locked forward on a reinforced door just ahead of them. He was fully planning on slamming his weight against it to get them out of the building. 

_‘Throw your weight against the door with me,’_ he commanded, growling and sprinting as fast as he could towards the door. It may have been reinforced, but with the weight of two werewolves slamming into it, it should give way to their freedom, even if it was going to take them a couple tries if the door didn’t break off its hinges the first time. Now nearly roaring, the asset jumped forward and threw his weight into the door, metal shoulder first.

Clint did the same, though he didn’t have armor like the alpha did, and he was still sore from shifting, so he winced at the impact. Still, it didn’t stop him from backing up to do it again and again until the door finally gave way, depositing the two wolves into the dirt on the other side. The alpha landed on his paws, Clint landed on his side, rolling over until he was on his feet again.

 _‘Come on,’_ the alpha urged, briefly nosing Clint’s shoulder to get him to start running again. _‘They didn’t put any sort of tracker on you, did they?’_

‘ _Not that I know of._ ’ Clint tried shrugging as they set off again. The attempted action making him stumble a bit. Okay, so, doggy body doesn’t multitask as well as human bodies do. Good to know.

_‘Good, we’re going to need to hide for a while.’_

The asset looked back to confirm he saw agents running after them, and he was not happy to see them with guns that didn’t look like the normal tranquilizer guns. Growling, he picked up the pace, his strides long and fast.

It was cold, the blowing wind still chilly despite the layers of fur both had. They were clearly somewhere far north, mountains and trees, their landscape as they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They would only be safe once they could reach the thick line of trees that stood ahead of them, and then they would be able to disappear and blend into the foliage, getting as much distance between them and Hydra as they could manage. 

There was the sound of a gunshot and the dirt under Clint’s paws was disturbed. _Way_ too close for any amount of comfort. It gave the new wolf an extra burst of speed he didn’t know he had, and he didn’t stop, even when they passed the tree line, causing him to have to dodge the trees in his path forward.

The two didn't stop even long after they could no longer hear voices or gunshots. They ran as far as their paws would take them, their chests heaving for breath and adrenaline still coursing through their veins. They were lucky the ground wasn't soft enough to leave their footprints as they ran, thus making it harder for Hydra to track them the old fashioned way. In fact, the two ran until they were about to fall over out of exhaustion, and by that time, dark clouds were starting to gather in the sky, threatening to let go of some form of precipitation.

The asset slowed to a stop, tongue hanging out as he panted and caught his breath, legs shaking from running so far and fast for so long.

Clint flopped down, panting heavily for a long moment before looking up at the asset, ‘ _So that just happened. How long have the crazies back there been playing mad scientist on you?_ ’ His socks had been lost somewhere along the way, but he couldn't find it in him to care, so long as they were safe.

 _'I don't know,'_ the asset responded, huffing and flopping down onto the ground. _'Lost track of time.'_

‘ _That sucks. They’ve only had me about a day, and that was horrible enough. Um, are we stuck as doggos for the rest of our lives now? The one lady mentioned that past experiments lead to people being permanently changed into wolves…_ ’

_'No, at least I'm not. They force me to change back and forth for different missions. I don't have clothes so I won't show you.'_

‘ _Okay, mind telling me how to do that trick for when we might be in a warmer place with clothing?_ ’ Clint asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

_'It's in your mind. You've got to focus to shift easily. You push down the wolf to take over as human again.'_

‘ _The wolf...is that the thing in my mind that takes over control of my body sometimes? Makes me do things like eat raw steaks?’_ Clint asked.

The asset nodded, or rather huffed as he got back up to his feet and sniffed the air. _'You have wolf instincts now. The wolf is controlled by emotions and whatever triggers that Hydra tried. Your wolf can handle eating raw meat, just like a normal wolf.'_

Clint looked at the other wolf, studying him, from his metal leg to his thick dark fur, to his sad blue eyes. ‘ _Is your name really Asset?_ ’

The asset looked at Clint, huffing. _'No.'_

Clint felt himself smile, or at least, what he guessed the canine form of a smile was, ‘ _Mind letting me in on your secret real name? I’d rather not call you that mockery of a name that those crazies gave you. I’m Clint, by the way._ ’

 _'I don't remember,'_ the darker wolf replied, eyes narrowing. _'You're luckier than most. I got put under several times. They've kept me alive for much longer than I should be, and they wipe my mind every time they put me under.'_

Clint couldn’t help but whine at the idea of the person—wolf—in front of him having even his memories taken from him. ‘ _Well, I can’t just call you ‘Hey you’, especially if we’re going to be sticking around each other for a while. Is there a name you’d like me to use? Or can I make one up for you myself?_ ’

_'Pick one, I don't care what it is. I'm just relieved to have escaped without being brainwashed after my last mission.’_

The asset trotted off, seeming to have caught his breath completely as he began tracking a scent.

The blond wolf followed behind as he tried to think of a name to give his companion. ‘ _So, probably something more human than doggy, right? Because looking at you now it’s hard not to think of dog names, but that’d be awkward when we’re human again so, uh… Sebastian? Nah, reminds me of that one singing crab...Stan? No, you definitely don’t seem like a Stan...Sam? Steve? Ah, I should get away from ‘s’ names before I get ridiculous with suggesting something like Supper...I’m kinda hungry… Billy? Bob? Rob? Rick? Lucas? Adam? Zack? Jimmy? James?”_

 _'Buck,'_ the asset suddenly spoke in their wolf language. He froze, staring straight ahead.

‘ _Buck? I knew a Buck...not exactly connected to good memories right now…’_ Clint said, tilting his head and wondering what the other wolf was doing.

 _'No, I mean there's a buck just up ahead. Be still.'_ The asset slowly and silently moved forward, stalking the deer, which had produced the scent he had picked up.

Clint crouched down low, watching his companion and keeping quiet. The wind picked up, blowing through the trees, and he tilted his head to the sound. Birds were chirping, leaves rustling, something was chittering...

The asset continued to stalk forward, stopping only when the deer looked up from grazing. The wolf was lucky he was dark, because to the deer, he was nonexistent, so the darker fur made himself the perfect stalking hunter in places such as the forest. It was several good and long minutes later that the wolf was close enough to attack, and so he lunged forward, teeth bared and sinking into the deer's neck. It wasn't but a few seconds before the deer collapsed to the ground, unmoving, and the asset stepped back to look back at Clint.

_'You can approach now, but slowly.'_

Clint got up and strolled forward, not as slow as he had when the lady had tempted him with a steak, but still slow enough he hoped it pleased the big, strong, nameless alpha wolf.

 _'It's old,'_ the asset explained. _'The head is mostly grey and the neck is wider than the head. It's also food now, since we ran so much. You've burned through whatever food they gave you by now.'_

‘ _Right...so...where do we start? My human self says we need to cook it but thats not what wolves do, so…’_ he looked down at the deer and sniffed around it.

 _'Wolves like to eat the innards first, but we're part human still, so we'll leave those for scavengers.'_ The asset moved to the belly of the deer and tore it open, going for the meat on the ribs.

Clint bent his head down, sniffing before giving the exposed meat an experamentive lick. It didn’t make him feel sick at the idea of chowing down on a raw dead animal in the middle of the woods like he thought it might, so he joined his companion in getting to and eating the parts that the other said was alright for them.

Once he’d had his fill and the deer was mostly gone, leaving only the parts they couldn’t eat, he sat back, running his tongue along his teeth before letting out a sigh, ‘ _So, back to the name thing.’_

The asset flopped onto his side, though his ears were still alert as he did so. _'You said you knew someone named Buck. That… sounds vaguely familiar for some reason. Might have been a nickname. Like Bucko, or Buckeye… Bucky.'_

‘ _Well, my...nickname of sorts was Hawkeye so Buckeye might be cute.’_ Clint joked, ‘ _But knowing me, I’d probably shorten Buckeye to something like Bucky, anyway. So let’s call you that._ ’

The asset, now Bucky, huffed out an agreement. It was a name that felt familiar, so it would do. Better than being called the asset, or worse, the Winter Soldier. Bucky preferenced not to mention to Clint that was the identity he went under.

 _'We should find shelter soon,'_ Bucky suggested after a bit. _'It's going to rain, and it's too cold to be stuck in the rain.'_

‘ _Bets now. What do you think we’ll find first? A building of sorts, or some sort of cave? Not that I have anything to bet with. This fur suit has no pockets._ ’

 _'Instincts say find a den, and out here, wherever we are, that'll be our best bet.'_ Bucky sniffed the air and turned toward the north. _'Stay close, we don't know if Hydra is still lurking around.'_

A few drops of rain started hitting leaves with dull taps, starting very sparsely but steadily growing more consistent.

‘ _Den, cave, isn’t it the same thing, really? I don’t mind it for bad weather but you know, I would like to get back to being human and having pants and a pillow again. Hell, I’d do anything for coffee...and being able to just turn sound off again. There is just so much noise everywhere.’_

 _'Noise?'_ Bucky looked up, a raindrop hitting his forehead. _'We as wolves have more sensitive hearing.'_

‘ _Yeah but...look, my human ears are mostly deaf. Have been since—an incident in my childhood. I’m—not used to all this noise. It's still somewhat muffled with the wolf ears, but it’s still a lot louder than what my hearing aids could ever pick up. And now that we aren’t, you know, running for our lives and freedom or busy eating...the sound is getting distracting and threatening to be overwhelming. Those birds and the rain that’s starting and the wind in the trees—I forgot that the wind had a sound, Bucky. And that’s just the things I know what the sound is. I’m trying hard not to let it distract me too much.’_ Clint admitted.

Bucky stared at Clint, taking in what he had just been told. Or… gestured… He padded over to Clint and sniffed the blond's ears, nuzzling the back of one gently. _'Let me know if it's too much for you. The quicker we find a den, the sooner you can block out the sound.'_

‘ _Thanks…_ ’ Clint said, fighting the urge to lean into the other wolf and shove his nose into his fur. He’d caught another whiff of his scent when he drew closer, and it was a scent he found himself wanting to explore.

But not like a dog. He was _not_ going to go sniffing Bucky’s butt, no matter how curious he was about the guy.

Satisfied with Clint's response, Bucky continued on, sniffing out a den for the two of them as the rain started getting heavier. Occasionally he would stop and shake off the water drenching his fur, but that hardly stopped him from sniffing out the perfect den for the two of them. It had to be perfect, which meant dry and quiet, and all Bucky wanted to do was make sure that Clint was comfortable. He wasn't quite ready to share why he had that need to find the perfect den.

Clint shook out his fur whenever it got too heavy with rain as he followed behind Bucky, glancing around whenever a new sound caught his attention. ‘ _Well, at least the rain will wash away any trail we left behind…’_ he muttered, mostly to himself when a large amount of rain water that had been caught up in the trees suddenly released, drenching him right after he’d just shaken out his fur.

Bucky looked back and chuffed out a laugh, almost smirking. _'Yeah, rain is a great cover if you step lightly. But I think we're getting close to a den. I smell wolf, but it's an old scent, so we might be lucky.'_

‘ _And, uh, what if we aren’t? Would the wolf attack us for being in its territory?’_ Clint asked in worry. He didn’t want to see how a fight like that would turn out.

_'It'll most likely just growl at us, and we'll leave. They'll only attack if we stay too long.'_

Clint shook himself out again, ‘ _Hope you’re right.’_

_'Don't worry, I won't let you get hurt. You're basically a pup in an adult body at this point, so just… stay close.'_

‘ _Just don’t start calling me kid—or pup.’_ Clint said, moving to nudge the larger wolf with his shoulder.

 _'I said you're like one, not that you are one.'_ Bucky chuffed again, then put his nose back to the ground to sniff out the den.

When they arrived at the den, it was overgrown with plants and branches, which would be perfect for blocking out sound for Clint. It looked unoccupied, but Bucky moved in close to investigate, stepping inside slowly until his whole body disappeared inside. Only a few seconds passed before he reappeared to Clint.

_'Den is empty. Smells old, but it's dry, and all the foliage will block out more sound.'_

Clint shook out his fur one last time before he hurried into the den, looking around and exploring the small space before flopping down, eager for a rest, ‘ _Well now it’ll smell like wet dog in here rather than old._ ’

 _'Won't bother me a bit if it does.'_ Allowing himself to yawn, Bucky shook his fur outside of the den and entered, finding a spot to lay down that wasn't too close to Clint, just in case the blond wasn't comfortable with a strangler curling up next to him.

‘ _So, was I just lucky to be included in your escape attempt?”_ Clint asked. He was more curious about who Bucky was, where he was from… but Bucky hadn’t even known his own name, so it seemed foolish to ask questions like that.

Bucky huffed. _'I knew they were wanting me to meet with you, for what reason, I haven't the slightest clue. I escaped them before they got the collar on me, and I was going to escape without stopping, then they led me right by your room, and I could tell you were a new wolf… I didn't want you to suffer like I had.'_

‘ _Thank you. I was...scared and confused and alone, and I really don’t know how to shut up when I know it’s probably best if I do. I’m annoying and irritating like that.’_

_‘I haven’t heard people other than Hydra agents talk in a long time. It’s nice to hear a new voice that’s not threatening me every minute I’m awake.”_

‘ _Give it time, you’ll probably find me annoying. Even my brother tells me I need to learn to shut up. He…’_ Clint frowned, remembering how his brother had just let the circus troops hand him off to Hydra. How he had been pleased by the fact he could take over Clint’s proformance spot. How he’d admitted how he really felt about him… The one lady had claimed that Barney had wanted Clint back after they were done with whatever their plans were, but remembering the way Barney had looked at him last night...well, he seriously doubted it was true.

Clint whined and lowered his head to the ground.

Alarmed at Clint’s sudden change of attitude, Bucky shifted closer and licked Clint’s muzzle, tasting some of the deer from earlier on him. Maybe it was more of his wolf side reacting, but the dark wolf’s mind repeatedly begged Clint to let Bucky take care of him and keep him safe.

‘ _Sorry...he just...I trusted him more than anyone and he let the troop give me to Hydra or whatever they are called… He always told me we needed to stick together, that it was us against the world. That he’d always be there for me and that’s what big brothers are for… I would have done anything for him...and he tossed me aside like trash. It hurts.’_

Bucky growled softly. _‘Shitty brother, if you ask me. I’d protect you better than he ever will.’_

Clint gave a small laugh, weak and strained—and sounding nothing like a laugh in wolf language, and he moved himself across the floor of the den to curl up closer to Bucky. ‘ _Seeing as you saved me like you did, I suppose I can try to trust you on that._ ’

Bucky felt a sense of relief wash over him, and he allowed himself to lean in and get a good whiff of the blond’s scent. It was nice, like family, like pack. Like mate. Just as it had back at the Hydra labs. Bucky didn’t understand why Clint smelled like that, but back in the labs he had smelled Clint since what Bucky guessed was Clint shifted fully for the first time. That burst of scent in the labs scent his wolf in a frenzy, trying to find the source of the scent while plotting his escape frrom Hydra, and thank god he had found the source. Clint was actually a gorgeous wolf. Bucky could only imagine what he would look like when he figured out how to shift back to a human form.

 _‘I promise you can trust me,’_ he huffed, nuzzling Clint again.

Clint turned his head, nuzzling tiredly into Bucky’s fur.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

It was pouring when Bucky woke up the next morning. Good. Their tracks would have all washed away by that point. Bucky also found that he had shifted back to human in his sleep, which was okay except for the fact that one, he had no clothes to put on, and two, it was freezing cold out, therefore he was freezing cold.

Shivering, Bucky hugged himself as he sat up and yawned. He looked down at Clint, who was still sleeping and still a wolf, and he reached out to pet the blond. Clint’s fur was soft, almost impossibly so, but that was how pups always felt. For some reason, they were soft, and Bucky had to make himself stop the petting so he wouldn’t risk waking up the blond. Clint might violently wake up when he realized what had happened to him, so Bucky stretched and got on his hands and knees, shaking his body like he was shaking off water until his wolf form returned, his dark fur providing the warmth he needed to keep his body comfortable. How convenient that he had a fur coat that he could just shake into when he was too cold.

Once again Bucky yawned, glad to have the freedom to take as much time as he needed to wake up. Luckily, he didn’t need much time to wake up, because there were a few rabbits that he could smell were nearby, and they would make the perfect breakfast. Or maybe fish would be better. Maybe both…

Huffing, Bucky ventured out of the den to hunt for something to eat for breakfast.

Clint started waking up after Bucky had left, and he whined a bit before he stretched out and blinked his eyes open to feel a surge of panic when he found himself in a tiny dirt cave, but once his memories started surfacing, he calmed down and pushed himself up, looking around for his companion. ‘ _Bucky?’_ he called out, wondering where the alpha had gone. He sniffed around, catching a whiff of what he was sure was Bucky’s scent, and he followed it to the opening of the den where it disappeared into the rain.

He _really_ didn’t want to get his fur wet again. He was nice and dry, finally, but he also wanted to poke his head out to see if Bucky was nearby. Maybe hunting again or even making sure Hydra didn’t have people too nearby looking for them. He hoped that was the reason. After all, Clint had no idea where they were, and he really didn’t want to be on his own, fending for himself with no clothes, no bow, no aids, no money or ID...and an inner wolf that was still practically a puppy according to Bucky. So hunting for himself might not go great for a while.

He sat back down, watching the rain fall outside beyond the overgrown plants that helped muffle the sounds. Then he decided that he’d try what Bucky had mentioned the day before. He closed his eyes and tried pushing his inner wolf down to let the human take over. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. After all, his inner wolf was always just in the back of his mind unless it took control when it decided it needed to, but pushing it back even further found resistance.

Clint didn’t know how long he sat there, working hard to push down the wolf until he found himself naked and on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. His body was a little sore again, but he hadn’t even noticed the change. It hadn’t been painful like his change into the wolf had been.

He took a moment to gather himself before he crawled out of the den and looked around for a sign that Bucky had not just up and abandoned him.

As Clint looked around, Bucky came trotting back with a couple of large fish in his mouth. When he got closer to the den, he paused, seeing a human there at the entrance. For a moment, he thought that someone from Hydra had found them, but he reasoned that a hydra agent would have no business being naked in front of the den, and once he caught a whiff of Clint's scent coming from the human, he relaxed some.

Clint continued to look around, slowly turning until he was facing Bucky and stopped, letting a grin spread across his face, “Man, it’s a good thing you’re so recognizable as a wolf. I might have been scared seeing you there, watching me like that.” he laughed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing the water out and smoothing down the part he touched, “Glad you didn’t just leave me here to fend for myself. Though...if that’s breakfast you might have to help me go doggy again. Took me a long time to figure out how to push the wolf down enough to change back. Didn’t want to deal with wet fur.”

Bucky approached Clint and sniffed him before going back into the den with the fish after shaking off the rain. He barked, most likely telling the blond to come back in so he wouldn't get soaked more than he already was.

Clint ran both hands through his hair to get most of the water out before messing it to fluff it out before he headed inside and sat down on the floor, “Okay, so I can’t hear much of anything right now but I can read lips, it’s not perfect, but I can get enough information to know the just of what is said. And No idea if you know ASL, but I do know it, I haven't had to use it after I got a pair of hearing aids a few years ago, but it shouldn’t take me long to shake off any rust. So, either way, that's how we can communicate in human form.”

Bucky took a moment to consider what Clint had said, then he made a grunting noise and shook himself, looking like he was simply just falling out of his fur. Suddenly he was in his human form, hair dark and long, brushing his shoulders as he looked up to make eye contact with Clint. The prosthetic arm had seemingly changed forms along with Bucky’s body.

"So…I don't know any sign," he spoke slowly so the blond could read his lips. "But anyways, going wolf is a lot easier than you think. If the wolf is prominent in your mind, you basically just let it take over, and next thing you know, you're a wolf again."

Clint was staring, his mouth hanging open a little. “Holy shit you’re hot.” he said bluntly. When Bucky had mentioned that he’d been kept alive far longer than he should, Clint had, apparently wrongly, assumed that Bucky was an older man complete with wrinkles and greying hair and was probably old enough to be Clint’s father. But here he was looking like he wasn’t much older than Clint. And he _was_ hot. A strong jawline that looked like it could cut glass, messy and tangled long hair that just _did_ something for Clint, and ice-blue eyes that sparkled, even in the dim light that managed to filter down into the den. And he couldn’t quite hide the fact that he felt attraction towards the man sitting buck naked across from him—he was just as naked himself, after all, and his groin was a little too honest.

Clint just hoped that Bucky wasn’t offended or homophobic.

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're not so bad yourself. Glad we've established the attraction is mutual."

Clint felt his entire face go red, and he coughed, “Uh, yeah. Um, you were saying? About...you know, getting all furry again?”

"Just let the wolf take over. Fighting it makes the shift painful, so if you don't fight it, the shift will be easier. The wolf constantly wants to come out, so going from wolf to human is harder than human to wolf."

Clint nodded, trying to concentrate on the information rather than let his dick take over. It didn’t work and he found himself with a case of the stupid as he wondered, but thankfully didn’t voice, which was stronger. His inner wolf wanting to take over, or his dick wanting to take over. Oh god, what if they mixed? He didn’t want to think of his wolf form having a major boner and needing to hump something.

"I'll just… Take this…so you can focus on shifting again." Bucky shifted back to his wolf form, then took one of the fish and trotted out of the den to eat.

“Uh, thanks, sorry, staring was rude.” Clint said, smacking himself in the face before trying to shift back. It wasn’t hard to find his inner wolf again, but it didn’t seem to come forward. Clint thought it didn’t actually want to come out and he slumped, thinking he’d failed the attempt when he noticed he could hear again. He stood up and looked back, finding his bushy tail wagging back and forth.

Okay, so easier than he thought. He only had to acknowledge his inner wolf for it to take over, he didn’t have to drag it forward like he had to push it back. Good to know.

‘ _Hey, I’m a doggo again. You can come back inside where it’s dry._ ’

There was a huff from just outside the den, then the sound of Bucky shaking off any rain that had collected in his fur. A moment later he returned, his fish partially eaten already. _‘We shouldn’t stay here for much longer,’_ he mentioned while flopping back down to eat.

‘ _I don’t mind moving, I’m used to not staying long in any one spot. I just hope the rain lets up before we head out._ ’Clint said, sniffing a rabbit before choosing a fish first. Rabbits were too cute, he had to mentally prepare himself if he was going to eat one. Food was food, he knew that, but...bunnies with their long ears and fluffy tails...so adorable.

_‘I doubt it will. But that’s better for us. We need to find a place that’s a lot farther from here and that can be a safehouse for us where we don’t have to be wolves all the time.’_

‘ _We’ll need to find clothes, and maybe some money. Deer and rabbit are fine and all, but the food of my heart will always be pizza. Can’t hunt for wild pizza as wolves, I’m sure.’_

_‘A town to blend into will help us stay away from Hydra. So will a place so deep in the woods that Hydra won’t be able to track us unless they have tracking dogs on our scents.’_

‘ _If they have tracking dogs, then they’ll find us no matter where we go.’_ Clint pointed out.

_‘Which is why we need to get as far away from here as possible. Go further north where it’s too cold for their dogs and we can hole up in some abandoned cabin that has a town somewhere nearby. The more we distance ourselves, the higher our chance of survival gets.’_

‘ _Oh goody, more cold. Fun.’_ he glanced out of the den and then back at Bucky, ‘ _But maybe better than rain so I guess I’m in.’_

Bucky made a satisfied noise. _‘Good. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done eating.’_

‘ _Right_.’ Clint said before tuning back to his breakfast.

* * *

The rain eventually slowed to a frankly miserable drizzle as Bucky and Clint made their way through the trees. Their fur continued to get soaked through the constant drizzle, needing to stop several times to shake out the excess water in an effort to stay somewhat comfortable. They were tracking further north, after all, and they were going to need as much warmth as they could come up with, and without any clothes, that meant staying in wolf form. Besides, they covered more ground as wolves.

Eventually the two came across a road that ran north to south, perfect for their plans. So they followed it, staying just to the side of the road and still in the trees in case cars were to drive by that belonged to Hydra. When they happened to pass a road sign, Bucky was glad to note that the words on it were in English, so they had a good chance of communicating with locals when the need arose.

After some time, Bucky lifted his nose to the air and sniffed. _‘There’s a town up ahead. Small, not a lot of residents, but it’s large enough that we can get what we need.’_

‘ _Clothes first...Then we can get the rest...I, uh, I have some decent pickpocketing skills. I’ve always hated doing it, but we need to get money somehow.’_ Clint said, turning up his nose and sniffing, trying to understand the scent Bucky seemed to know so well that he could tell a farm from a town, or a town from a city. He couldn’t tell, not really. But then again, he’s only been a wolf for two days, while Bucky has been one for a long but unknown amount of time.

_'We'll break into a store and grab some clothes they have stored in the back. Or, if there's a donation box anywhere, we take from that. We can't look too suspicious.'_

‘ _We’ll look for a donation box first.’_ Clint decided, ‘I _’d rather us only steal what is absolutely necessary_.’

Bucky nodded, or whatever the wolf equivalent of a nod was. _'The less attention we bring to ourselves, the better.'_

It didn’t take the two wolves long to come across town. At first, they kept to the outskirts where they were able to keep to the cover of trees, but it became clear that they would need to venture further in if they were going to find clothes for their human selves.

Bucky had them sticking to the shadows. It was easier for him with his dark coloring, but Clint stuck out no matter how hard he tried to blend in. It had only been a matter of time before he was spotted by a pair of excited green eyes.

“Doggy!”

Clint started and looked over as a little girl with long curly brown pigtails and a little yellow dress layered under her coat left her mother’s side and ran over to him, holding out a hand.

“Hi, doggy!”

“Millie be careful, you never know when dogs you don’t know are mean or not!” the mother gasped, walking up behind her daughter with their umbrella. It wasn’t raining hard, but still enough for some people to care about using one.

“This one’s a good boy!” the little girl insisted.

Clint glanced to the shadows behind a dumpster where Bucky was paused, looking back at Clint being cornered by a rather adorable little girl, before he decided to push his nose out and sniff the girl’s hand before giving her fingers a little lick.

“See? He gave me kisses! Can we keep him? _Pleaaaaase_?” She threw herself onto Clint, hugging him and petting him. Clint sat still, wagging his tail and playing up the ‘Yes, I’m a good dog, nothing to see here.’ look.

The mother sighed, “He might have an owner, and you know dogs make your daddy sneeze.”

“But I can name him Mr. Sparkles!”

“Your daddy would sneeze around him, even if you named him ‘Not-sneezy’. I’m afraid you’ll have to say goodbye to Mr. Sparkles.”

“Awwww.” Millie slumped sadly and pressed a kiss to Clint’s nose before whispering, “I live in the blue house on my street, you should come play!” before she let her mother drag her away.

Clint gave her an amused look as she was dragged away, the front of her dress now damp from hugging a friendly wet wolf. Her home directions were adorably vague, especially considering if he was a dog, rather than a wolf, he’d be fully colorblind.

Once she and her mother were out of sight, Clint hurried over to Bucky, ‘ _Guess I stand out more than you_.’

 _‘Well, you are a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed blond wolf. And you do move more like a dog than a wolf with your coloring. But I guess now we need to worry about animal control… maybe getting collars would be a smart idea.’_ Bucky huffed and licked Clint’s muzzle before continuing to sniff out a possible donation box or store.

‘ _Well, if animal control does snatch either of us up, we have a trick of having fingers and thumbs to open up a kennel to make our escape.’_ Clint poked his head around a corner they came to, to look around. ‘ _But if we get collars, I want a purple one_.’

_‘Collars with tags will be smart, in case one of us does get caught and we’re not able to shift back to human form. But purple… noted. We also need to get paint. I’m not having my arm give us away so quickly with that red star.’_

‘ _Maybe black paint to have it blend in with your fur more_ ?’ Clint suggested, ‘ _That way if you’re in wolfie form at a glance it wont look like you have a metal arm at all and they’d overlook you as just a regular wolf._ ’

 _‘Black is perfect, and since it’s so cold out, my hand will just look like a glove in human form.’_ Bucky turned his head, spotting a bin that looked like it might be a donation bin. Either that or a garbage dumpster, but thankfully it didn’t smell like that, just like a big cluster of humans. However, the bin was rather out in the open. It was in the back of a parking lot, yes, but there weren’t any trees or buildings cornering it. Bucky huffed, annoyed.

Clint looked at it, then back at Bucky, ‘ _I’ll go. I look more like a dog to people, so I won’t attract as much attention if I’m spotted. I can at least grab us both pants that look close to our sizes so we can go in together to find the rest of our first outfits that hopefully won’t look too crazy.’_

 _‘We’ll look fucking cold,’_ Bucky said, but he let Clint go, agreeing that it was better if Clint went to sniff out some pants.

‘ _We’ll look exactly like the type of people donated clothing is meant for. No one would protest us taking what we clearly need. And if anyone asks, we could say we fell in the river we crossed earlier today and lost nearly everything.’_ The smaller wolf pointed out before he moved over to the donation bin, sniffing around it a bit before he just flat out jumped inside, ripping open bags to get to the clothes inside. It took a bit of time to find pants, but he finally found a pair of dark denim jeans that looked like they’d decently fit Bucky, based on the short amount of time he’d seen his companion’s human form. However, he failed to find jeans that looked like they’d fit him. Most of the clothing he was finding were children’s clothes, after all. But he did find a pair of leggings in a light grey with little yellow flowers embroidered at the ankle. They were stretchy, so they’d have to do. Picking up his find in his mouth, he hopped out of the bin and hurried back to Bucky and dropped the pants onto the ground. 

_‘Mostly kids stuff in there but there are some adult donations as well.’_ he said, before making sure they were covered and focusing on pushing back his inner wolf. It took less time than that morning, but he wasn’t nearly as fast at it as Bucky was. Grabbing the leggings once he was human again, Clint pulled them on, hopping a few times to help get them on. They were clearly designed for female bodies, and they were very uncomfortable in the crotch, but they would have to do for now.

Bucky shivered and hugged himself after he got his pants on, noting how they felt maybe just a little too big. He’d need to find a belt. “Maybe we can see about getting you some hearing aids once we have money,” he said , hoping Clint was able to read his trembling lips.

“I’d love you forever if we could.” Clint grinned, adjusting himself in the leggings one last time before he moved to the donation bin again.

“We may have to wait a bit to get some,” the brunet said once Clint glanced back at him. 

Digging through the donation bin, they found, as Clint had said, tons of children’s clothes, but luckily there were some adult sized coats and shirts in the bin. Bucky was greedy when he found a thick coat and a henley shirt, putting them on immediately to keep his body warmer.

Clint was quick to snatch up a large lavender hoodie to pull on over a Plain white t-shirt he had found. It was long enough to cover his crotch, thankfully, and it was closer to purple than the green hoodie he had seen first. He then pulled on a pair of blue socks that had little candy canes on them. Their search found no shoes or boots in any size larger than toddler, however. But they did find a decent duffel bag that Clint grabbed. 

Bucky hated how cold his feet were, but at least he and Clint had some clothes on to keep them warm. Maybe they would be able to get some shoes from a store that was generous enough to do so. He was doubtful, but they had to at least try, or they would get sick very quickly.

“Let’s see if there’s another donation place around here. Or at least some place we can stay inside for a while to dry off and get warm.”

"Yeah, this helps, but it's not enough. Not if we want to survive long."

"Think people will believe our story of falling in the river and losing everything? 

"Worth a try." Clint shrugged. " Not like we can tell them the truth about why we came into town with literally nothing."

"We might be able to get a free meal out of this as well." Bucky sniffed the air after allowing himself to partially shift so he could use his wolf sense of smell. "I think there's a restaurant nearby. We'll ask for old food that hasn't expired yet."

"Sounds good to me. Then we'll see about shoes and a proper coat for me. If we can't get a meal that way, maybe we can do dishes for them or something."

"Looking into renting an apartment might be beneficial, at least for a while until we figure out where to go from here and get enough money to leave."

"Motel might be easier. Or a room at a guesthouse." Clint shrugged, "Barney and I were in similar situations before."

"Got it." Hugging the coat around himself, Bucky headed towards the restaurant he smelled. He had to admit he was hungry. Being a wolf took a lot of energy, so with Clint being a new wolf, there was no doubt that he was also hungry, probably even hungrier than Bucky was.

By the time they got to the restaurant, which was a simple hometown café, Bucky was shivering and drenched from the rain that had picked up yet again.to be honest, the pair of them were absolutely miserable looking. They tried to wring out as much rainwater as possible from their clothes before entering, the warmth welcoming after being in freezing cold rain for 24 hours. The smell of greasy fries and burgers was also welcoming, and Bucky's stomach grumbled.

"Oh it smells good in here." Clint moaned, leaning against Bucky as he adjusted the ankle of his leggings where it had rolled up when he took his socks off to keep them dry when the rain picked up again. 

"It does," Bucky replied, though Clint was facing away from him.

"Goodness, you two look like a couple of drowned rats," a lady from a table across the dining room said. "And you barely have any clothes on, jesus, come in, sit down. You boys look terrible." She turned towards the kitchen and called out. "Jim, get me something warm out here quickly! Got a couple that looks half froze to death!"

"We can't pay…" Clint admitted, moving over to the counter, "We're willing to do dishes or mop floors in exchange for food. We've had a rough day."

"Oh honey don't worry about that," the lady said. "Today is on the house, you two look so bad right now."

"We haven't been having the greatest day,” Bucky explained. “Fell in the river and lost everything. We don't even live here, we got swept downriver for so long, I didn't think we'd make it."

"You poor things. Do you have anyone we can call to come get you guys?”

“No, we don’t have anyone. Cut all ties from families because they were jerks about us being together.” Casually Bucky pulled Clint closer, acting like they were a couple. “We only have each other, and everything we own is gone now. Who knows where the hell our car is? We don’t even know where we are now.”

“Well, I don’t know where you came from, but you’re in one of the northernmost small towns in Alberta.”

“Canada,” Bucky muttered. Last he knew he was in Russia, so why the hell did Hydra bring him to Canada?

“Y-yeah, Canada… you said you came from upriver, right?” The lady asked as she helped the two be seated in a booth.

“Yeah, of course. Just making sure I didn’t knock my head while we were swept down the river.”

"You'll have to excuse Bucky, I really do think he hit his head. He seemed confused earlier when I asked him if he still had his wallet." Clint shrugged, tugging a lock of dark hair playfully. "Normally he's the more put together one of us."

“Not a problem, really,” the lady insisted. “You two just relax and we’ll get some warm food and drink out to you two.”

“Thank you,” Bucky said, sounding exhausted as he sat down, opting to sit next to Clint with the blond sitting on the inside of the booth, just in case something were to happen and Bucky needed to fight.

Clint leaned over against Bucky, resting his cheek on his shoulder, "I'm just going to close my eyes until the food's here, okay?"

Bucky nodded, hoping Clint could feel that as he relaxed in the booth, reaching his hand up to squeeze out a little more water from his damp hair. 

So… they were fake dating. Nothing bad about that, they both had admitted that they were attracted to each other, so it wasn’t a big deal. Except that Clint had smelled like _mate_ to Bucky since the moment they met, and he didn’t know how to explain that to Clint in a way that the blond would understand, especially since he had only been a wolf for a couple days. Things were difficult between the two, being acquaintances who were attracted to each other and unknowingly to one that they were potentially mates already.

Luckily, food came to their table not long after they sat, the lady and presumably Jim coming with full plates and coffee cups. “Here you two are,” the lady said. “By the way, I’m Becky, so if you need anything else, just holler. And please, if you need more to eat, ask. It won’t cost you anything.”

“Thank you again,” Bucky said, moving his shoulder to get Clint to look up. “Is there a retail store in town?”

“Yes, a Walmart on Maple Road. I’ll get you a town map while you two eat.” Becky and Jim left the two alone once their food was set on the table.

Clint blinked and sat up, "Aw, coffee, yes! Thank you!" He pulled the mug close and sipped it, making a moan of pure pleasure "My love, never leave me again."

Chuckling, Bucky dug into his food. The both of them had received burgers and fries, tons of fries, because they probably looked starving, and maybe their stomachs growling were louder than they realized. They weren’t going to complain though. They needed as much food as they could gather.

It didn’t take long for Bucky to wolf down his meal, sitting back and letting his body digest a bit while closing his eyes. It wasn’t as filling as eating most of the meat off of a deer, but it did the trick of satisfying their hunger.

Clint downed half his coffee before he touched his food, eating quickly like he thought it would run off his plate if he let it.

When Becky came back to refill coffee, she whistled. “Dang you boys were hungry. Do you want another burger? Full plates again?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, two full plates again,” Bucky said, smiling sheepishly. 

“Of course, dear, I’ll put in the word for two more plates. Also here’s that map I promised. I also marked a couple places you could find some housing for your stay in town, and a donation store where you can get more clothes for cheaper prices. Walmart clothes are so expensive sometimes.”

“Thank you, again. You’ve already helped us so much. If one of us could work here for money, any time, please let us know.” Bucky grabbed the map to look over.

“I’ll put in a good word to the boss,” Becky reassured.

Clint had missed half the conversion, but he gave Becky a grin, "Thanks, you've been so lovely to us. It's nice to see a kind face after everything."

“It’s no trouble at all. We’re just glad to help you two, and you can be sure that we’re accepting here in town. There’s a few people who will bitch and moan, but most of the people here are supportive.” Becky smiled and left once more.

Bucky sighed and picked up his refilled coffee, taking a small sip as he looked outside. He swore he could see some snowflakes mixed in with the rain, so it was only going to get colder as the day went on.

“We should go to this donation store first,” Bucky said after getting Clint’s attention. “We might be able to smuggle some clothes out if we’re careful.”

Clint nodded, "Pants that have room for my bits would be nice though finding a job or two so we can pay for the things we need would be nice." Clint slumped, he would do what he needed to to survive, but he would prefer to do things on the right side of the law. The circus had been bad enough dishonesty for him, if he was honest with himself. 

“I don’t expect that Walmart place to have hearing aids, but we definitely will need money for those, because I know you can’t just steal hearing aids. And I doubt the donation store will miss a few clothing items.”

"Yeah, new aids won't be quick and easy to get." Clint agreed, "We'll have to budget for them, just like I had to for my first pair."

"We'll get them, then we won't have to struggle as much in terms of communication as humans. But for now… think you could teach me a few signs?"

“You would learn it for me? Really? Most people I’ve known never bothered…” Clint asked surprise, signing along with his words.

"Yeah, of course I'd learn," Bucky insisted. “I wanna be able to communicate with you if you don't have your aids in."

Clint smiled, soft and genuine, “We’ll start with the alphabet so you can spell anything you don’t know the sign for as we move on to other things. And I’ll sign as I talk to you so maybe you’ll pick up things passively.”

Bucky smiled back. "Good idea. I think I learned the alphabet a long time ago, but a refresher wouldn't hurt."

Clint nodded and started teaching him, making the sign for each letter and telling him what it is, waiting for him to mirror it before moving on to the next. 

“Good, now ‘M’.” he said, making the sign for the letter as Becky came back with two more plates of food.

"Here you two are," the lady said with a smile. "When you're done, just stack the plates before you leave. And do be careful, okay? I'd hate to read about you two ending up in a hospital."

“Thank you.” Clint smiled at her, signing the word so Bucky could learn it as well. It was an easy sign to remember.

Bucky repeated the sign, then repeated the sign for the letter M. "Did I get those right?" He asked Clint once Becky left the table.

“You did. You seem to be a quick learner with this. I'll have to quiz you tonight before we pass out.” Clint smiled, grabbing a few fries to shove in his mouth before moving on to ‘N’.

“Have to be a quick learner with Hydra. Too slow, and they punish you. Didn’t have a fun time being under their control in the beginning…” Bucky shook his head and repeated the sign, eating some of his own fries after.

Clint frowned, “We’re not going back. They won't be able to do any of that to you again.” Clint leaned in to give Bucky’s hand a squeeze, “They won’t be able to hurt either of us again.”

“I wasn’t ever going to suggest going back. Hydra has done enough damage to me, I don’t want them to do the same to you…” Bucky gently squeezed back, wrapping his fingers around Clint’s wrist.

Clint smiled before pulling back, “This one is easy.” he said, showing the sign for ‘O’.

By the time the two were finished eating, they had finished the alphabet and Clint had shown a few more must-know words in, including his name sign so that Bucky would know how to say it more quickly than spelling it out. He also explained the importance of name signs to the deaf and mute community; that no one could make up their own name sign, and that it must be given to you by another member, and was only given to members and sometimes close allies to the community. Not even Clint’s brother had a namesign, though he had thought of giving Barney one at one point.

Once they had their dishes gathered on the end of the table as Becky had asked, they stood up and Clint glanced at the window. The rain was completely gone; replaced by snow which was starting to gather on top of the slush left from the mix of rain and snow. He groaned, “Yeah, Boots and a coat is the first thing we need to get.”

Nodding, Bucky led them outside, shivering when a cold wind hit him. “This map says that the donation store is four blocks away. Not too far, thankfully, so we won’t be walking in snow and slush for too long.”

Clint tucked himself up into Bucky’s side, “Seeing as you have us fake dating here, I’m sure you won’t mind us sharing body heat until we have some proper layers?” he muttered low so no passer-by would overhear and potentially out their cover story.

“Sharing is caring,” the brunet said, smiling slightly as they started walking, tucking the map into the pocket of his jeans. He really needed to get a belt.

Clint smiled and turned his gaze ahead so that he could watch where they were going. Staying so close to Bucky, however, filled his nose with the man’s scent. It was similar to his scent as a wolf; only lacking the overtone of what Clint could only describe as canine. Even with a human nose, he could pick up on the different layers in his scent, and he found it interesting that the man could smell of pine trees when he obviously has not bathed or showered recently with scented body washes or shampoos. He should have smelled of sweat and dirt after their days of running and a night in a literal animal den. Clint wondered if his nose, even as a human, still had some of the sensitivity that his wolf nose had, or if it was just that he and Bucky both were the same, which allowed them to be more attuned to each other’s scents. It wasn’t like he was smelling all the other people that passed by them now that he was in human form.

He also wondered what he smelled like to Bucky. If he had a nice scent that smelled fresh like he’d bathed in scented soaps, too, or if he was as stinky as he felt after everything that had happened to him. Bucky didn’t seem to mind him being so close, so maybe he didn’t stink? He’d have to ask later after they found a place to stay and had a private place to talk. Bucky has been a wolf...shifter? man? …werewolf? He’s been whatever they are called for a lot longer than him and would probably know more about these kinds of things.

Either way, all Clint knew was that Bucky smelled good, familiar, and safe in a strange way he didn’t quite understand, and it allowed him to relax and simply trust Bucky.

The walk to the donation store felt long and way too cold for the two, but at least they were close together to conserve body heat in the walk that really wasn’t as long as it felt. Inside the store was pleasantly warm, just as the restaurant had been, and Bucky found himself sighing in relief.

Someone who was sitting at the check-out desk said hello in a very bored tone, and except for the soft music playing over an intercom system, the place was quiet and not busy at all. There were maybe two or three other people in the entire store that weren’t employees, which made it perfect for Clint and Bucky to leave with a couple new articles of clothing, if they played their cards right. Bucky was hoping for a dressing room or bathroom with a window, so they could escape through that without cameras looking, because no one would be sick enough to put cameras in a place of privacy.

Well, no one but Hydra anyways.

“Find three or four pairs of pants that will fit you, then trade out your leggings for one of them. I’m gonna go check to see if the bathroom has windows.”

Clint nodded and pulled away from the warmth of Bucky’s side to head over to the racks of pants to begin his search, quickly finding the marked section for his size range and started sorting through the selection for options that he actually liked. He found a pair of soft but warm sweatpants that he pulled, and then two pairs of jeans that seemed to be worn in but not worn out.

Bucky made his way to the back of the store where the bathrooms were labeled to be at. A quick look into the men’s restroom showed that there was indeed a window in the bathroom, but it was locked. Not with anything electric, thankfully, just a rusting padlock that any normal person wouldn’t be able to break, but Bucky had his prosthetic that Hydra had so generously given to him, so he would easily be able to break the lock once they were ready to leave the store. Bucky returned to the shopping area of the store, looking into his own size of clothes to find a few things he’d be able to smuggle out. 

Clint moved to the shirts next, grabbing a selection of options in his size, mostly purple or having purple on it. He also grabbed a pair of pajama pants that he couldn’t resist; pink with a bunch of cupid bows and arrows all over them. He didn’t care that they were in the women’s section. They would fit him, and they were adorable. Though he would have preferred if they were purple rather than pink. He then stopped at the coats, finding a warm one that fit him and didn’t have a broken zipper, and then moved to the shoe section to find a pair of shoes or boots that would fit.

The two moved throughout the store, no one seeming to care that they were carrying the bag with them that they had found in the donation box. It would be perfect for carrying some extra clothes out of the store, so Bucky grabbed several articles of clothing for himself, knowing they had room to carry extra.

When he was about to head to the changing room, he stopped by Clint and caught the blond’s attention. “Bathroom has a window with a padlock. Put the things you want in the duffle bag and head to the bathroom when you’re ready.”

“Don’t forget shoes or boots.” Clint said, tapping Bucky’s bare toe as he stayed sitting on the floor trying on a pair of boots he found. They were a little big, but not uncomfortably so, so he was claiming them.

Bucky nodded, eyeing the rows of boots that were on racks next to his head. He quickly spotted a pair in his size and tried them on, satisfied that they fit and looked similar to the boots he used to wear as a soldier. “Boots acquired,” he said, mainly to himself, cringing as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Sometimes that soldier that Hydra forced him to be still came out here and there.

Before heading to the bathroom, Bucky reached down and ruffled some of Clint’s hair, hoping that no one overheard any of their conversation.

“Mission accomplished, then.” Clint teased, tying the laces and standing up. “Lets go to the changing booths so I can switch pants.” he said, leading the way. He slipped inside one with his things and the bag, taking a moment to stuff everything in the bag alongside Bucky’s collected stuff, then he switched the leggings with a pair of jeans. He left the leggings behind in the booth and stepped out again.

Bucky came out of the changing rooms with a better fitting pair of jeans on, a hoodie on underneath the coat he had found earlier, and a ballcap with his hair tucked behind his ears. 

“Ready if you are,” he told the blond, leaving behind the pair of jeans that were just a little too big for him. Someone else could use them.

Clint nodded, “Yeah, lets go.”

He followed Bucky into the bathroom, looking at the size of the window and deciding to take off his coat to crawl through it. He didn’t want to risk ripping it. So he shrugged his coat off while Bucky moved to deal with the lock.

Making sure no one else was in the bathroom, Bucky made quick work of the lock, breaking it off easily with his prosthetic arm before shoving it open. He motioned for Clint to come over, ready to give the blond a lift to crawl through the now open window.

“I got this, my biceps aren’t just for show, you know.” Clint grinned, handing Bucky his coat and the bag, “I’ll make sure it’s clear, then hand me the stuff to toss out.” he said before he hopped up and easily pulled himself up onto the ledge, poking his head out to make sure no one was hanging around outside to see them. He then nodded and tossed the bag out first, followed by his coat before he followed, hopping down himself and pulling the coat back on. Before he got too cold. The slush had turned to ice, it seemed, so at least their bag didn’t get soaked.

Bucky followed Clint out the window, silent as a mouse, and he closed the window after he was outside. He let out a breath and turned back to the blond. “Alright, let’s get far away from here, find that motel and get set up in a room with monthly rates. Hopefully there’s no down payment…”

“If there is, we might be able to talk ourselves into working in exchange for getting the room. Scrub toilets or something. At least until we find some sort of income so we can pay.”

“We’ll have to find jobs eventually. I don’t know how far we’ve gotten from Hydra, but I can’t smell their stench on anyone around here, so I think we’re safe here for a while.”

“They have a special scent?” Clint asked, “I haven't really noticed anyone having a scent other than you.”

“They just smell really sterile. Lots of chemicals and all that, it’s like the chemical scents blended with their own, and they just smell repulsive. You weren’t around them long enough to notice their scent after you were forced to turn wolf.

“You, on the other hand, smell a lot better than them. Like lavender.” Bucky smiled down at Clint.

Clint found himself blushing. He smelled of flowers? Really? He’d have never guessed that. “Well then, if I ever needed to hide from strong noses, I know to choose a flower shop.” he joked.

The brunet laughed. “Theoretically, I suppose, yes. I’d much rather hide in the trees and bushes where there are shadows.”

“Well, you do smell of pine. So that would work.”

“Maybe that was programmed in with the serum stuff, but I’ve heard Hydra talking several times about some alpha and omega instinct. Every human is born with those instincts, but they never show themselves unless triggered by something, such as the serum we both got injected with. Apparently there’s some medical conditions that are related to that, like not being able to have kids or other things like that.” Bucky shrugged. “I just know they told me I was an alpha, though your wolf side probably already sensed that.”

“Yeah, my inner wolf told me you were an alpha when we first met. Made me want to make myself real small and submissive and...non-threat-like, because you could probably rip my throat out before I could blink.” Clint sighed, thinking back to the short amount of time with Hydra, “They didn’t tell me much, but I did overhear them say I was an omega. No clue what that is supposed to mean. I’ve heard of alpha wolves before. They’re like the leader of the pack.”

“And omegas are at the bottom of the pack, the submissive ones. But I don’t know what that means for packs of wolves like us. Not like we can just go to a library and research it…”

“Bottom of the pack? Aw man, way to make a guy feel special...bottom of the pack…” Clint sighed, frowning, “But I suppose that explains my reaction to you the first time we met...and how I keep letting people around me walk all over me...if it is something we have as regular humans but doesn’t fully show up without help from crazy science juice…”

“That’s how it is with normal wolves, with us… I can’t say. I’ve not really been around others like myself much. Anyone else they tried to expose me to went nuts on me and attacked. I… usually ended up hurting them. Somehow I’m the biggest, baddest wolf they’re managed to make, and i got injected years ago. Decades.”

“You really don’t look much older than me, you know.” Clint said, nudging Bucky as they walked. “Having a hard time believing that ‘decades’ part.”

"Yeah… I don't remember what time period I'm from, not yet anyways. It's hard when they wipe my memory after every mission. But I know for sure that I've never heard of a Walmart before, so I think I'm from before that existed."

“Wow, I’m not sure when that store became a thing, but I’m guessing that means you should have white hair and look like a prune. They inject you with the water from the fountain of youth or something?”

"Feels like it sometimes. They wipe my mind and freeze me after every mission, but this last mission… they didn't have time to do that. They wanted to bring me straight to you, and I saw that as the perfect opportunity to escape."

Clint nodded, “And I know everything that has happened after that.”

"And here we are needing to find a place to stay for a while." Bucky sighed and rubbed his face. "Well, I guess that gives us plenty of time to teach each other some things. I learn sign, you learn how to be a wolf."

“Well, I seem to have being a good dog down already. That little girl earlier wanted to take me home.” Clint laughed.

"Maybe you should entertain her one day," the brunet joked. "I'm sure she'd love to see you again."

“Nah, wouldn’t want to make her daddy sneezy.”

"You could just stay in her backyard. Dad would be none the wiser."

“You planning to get me adopted off as a family dog so you can be a lone wolf in the wild or something?” Clint teased, “I knew it was only a matter of time before I annoyed you!”

"Oh trust me, you are _far_ from annoying me. If anything, you're making me want to keep you around after we're done running from Hydra."

“Then stop trying to give me to a cute little girl with pigtails!” Clint grinned, flicking Bucky’s ear playfully.

"I told you to visit her, not let her adopt you! No way you're getting away from me that easily."

They turned off the sidewalk and headed to the little motel that had the best (cheapest) pricing available based on the town map, and Clint stepped forward so that he was ahead of Bucky, waving a hand in indifference. “If you say so, alpha.”

Wait.

What did he just say? Clint stopped and blinked, going over the last bit of the conversation, trying to figure out why he’d called Bucky alpha. Sure, Bucky _was_ an alpha, and if they were a tiny pack of two, Bucky was _the_ alpha, but that didn’t mean Clint was just going to start calling him that.

Bucky also stopped, staring at Clint intensely, like his wolf had taken over for a bit. He couldn't bring himself to speak, feeling like he might let out a wolf noise instead of words if he attempted.

Clint swallowed, “I have absolutely no idea where that came from…” he admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up as he turned around to look back at Bucky.

The brunet perked up as Clint looked back at him, just like he would as a wolf. Then in mere seconds, Bucky was moving to the blond, hands coming up to cup Clint's face, and then their lips were smashing together in a kiss that Bucky just had to initiate.

Clint stiffened in shock, his eyes wide before he started to relax, melting into the kiss and allowing Bucky to gather him up closer to his body until he found himself breathless. 

“Well now I know that seems to be a turn-on for you…” Clint breathed out when their lips parted slightly.

Bucky pulled back, licking his top lip. "There's… something we need to talk about once we get a room. Pack stuff…" He cleared his throat and moved past Clint, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

Clint let out a sound that, had he been able to hear it himself, he would have thought it was a dog whimpering, before he hurried to follow Bucky into the motel’s office.

Once inside, Bucky made it his mission to ask about monthly rates right away, making sure that the man at the desk knew the situation he and Clint were in before trying to work out a deal. Thankfully the man was understanding, and he gave the two keys to a room, telling them that they could make the down payment when they had the money to do so, and just like that, Bucky and Clint had a room all to themselves for at least a month.

The room was just like a normal motel room, a simple bed, table with a chair, dresser with a TV on top of it, and nightstands on either side of the one bed in the room. Bucky sighed as soon as he entered the room, stripping off layers of clothes until he was left with just the henley and pair of jeans.

“Finally, a bit of safety,” he mumbled as he moved to make sure the windows were locked and the curtains were shut before he sat down in the chair near the table.

Clint dropped their bag onto the top of the dresser before shrugging out of his coat and falling back onto the bed with a sigh, “You want the shower first, can I take the shower first, or are we gonna talk about pack first?”

“You get cleaned up,” Bucky said, motioning towards the bathroom. “I’ll unpack our things while you do.”

“Alright. Just don’t get jealous of my pajama pants I grabbed. They’re pretty sweet.” Clint grinned “Oh, and keep the price tags...I want to add how much we took so later when we have enough money we can maybe actually pay for it all.” Clint pushed himself up with a groan and stripped off his shirts before going into the bathroom to shower.

Bucky huffed as he got up and moved to the duffle bag full of clothes. It didn't take him long to unpack everything into the dresser, and when that was finished, he turned on the TV for some background noise. With that and the shower going Bucky took off the rest of his clothes and shifted to his wolf form, where his complicated emotions were simplified down to just the need to stay close to Clint. He jumped up onto the bed and huffed as he settled in to watch what was on the TV.

It wasn’t long before the water shut off and a moment later the door opened and Clint walked out with a towel around his waist and his hair messy from being toweled off. He tossed his jeans, socks, and boots over the chair before plopping down next to Bucky on the bed, “Your turn. I made sure to save some hot water for you. It feels so good.”

Bucky looked up, his head resting between his two front paws. He lay there for a bit longer before he whined and jumped off the bed, trotting into the bathroom to take his own shower. Truth be told, he didn't remember the last time he had a proper shower, but at least the water was going to be warm. No more cold. 

Bucky hated the cold.

Clint watched Bucky go before grabbing the remote to turn on the closed captioning of the TV, leaving the channel on what Bucky had been watching. Then he settled in, only half paying attention to the show, which ended and switched to a show about baking. 

Bucky took a while in the shower, but when he finally emerged, he looked exhausted, like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for a long time. His damp hair clung to his neck and shoulders as he moved to the bed and sat down on it, watching the baking show on the TV. He wanted more than anything to just shift back to wolf and curl up with Clint running his hands over his fur, but he knew that would only be avoiding the situation. Sighing, he turned to face the blond.

"Pack… can be a complicated topic," Bucky started. "I mean there's so much to it, yet it seems so simple. The main law of pack is to follow the alpha, never disobey them, or you risk getting kicked out. There's usually an alpha pair at the head of the pack, and, like I mentioned earlier, omegas are at the bottom of the pack, picking up scraps and doing all the tedious things that keep a pack running smoothly.

"Now sometimes… The pack is too small to really run like it's supposed to, like us two. I mean we're not really considered a pack… But I guess what I'm trying to say is that the alpha wolf usually picks a mate to have that's within the pack, and those two mate for life. Umm…" Bucky fidgeted with his hands, looking down at the bed. "When I found you at the labs… I saved you because you scented like a mate…"

“Wow, okay, that was a lot of information all at once, lets see if I caught it all.” Clint said, shifting to sit up straighter and turning to face Bucky better, “Did you tell me to always obey you, pick up scraps, and….become your life mate?”

Bucky cringed a little. "No, not exactly. I said that packs always obey the alphas, that omegas are usually the ones picking up scraps, and…that when I met you in the labs, you scented like a mate to me, and I had to save you."

“I scent like mate…” Clint wrinkled his nose as he thought on that, “Are wolves a species that normally have gay members? I know of lions, witnessed two lions gay for each other before. That was an interesting day on the job as a kid. Led to my brother having to give me the talk about the birds and the bees a few years earlier than he thought he’d have to. Although, we aren’t really wolves like wolves are. We’re humans mixed with wolves or whatever, and you did say earlier that pack dynamics for wolves like us might differ from actual wolves… would be better if we could actually research this situation...” 

The blond sighed, biting his lower lip before sighing again. “Okay, if we’re going to consider this mates thing in the future—since I have known you for literally two days, and if mating is for life I think it needs to be done right and the human-way to make sure it’s a commitment we’re both wanting to take...I think we should talk about the human side of this. Have you always been gay? Or bi at least? Or is it just the wolf?”

"I like both guys and gals," Bucky said. "It's been that way since before Hydra got me."

“Okay, so not just the wolf. That makes me feel better. I’ve always been into just guys. Girls are cute and all, but they just don’t do it for me. Found out pretty quickly when my brother smuggled me into a strip club when I was sixteen. It happened to be ‘lady’s night’ so they had male strippers and only a few females and I just found myself looking at the guys much more. Brother got me a lapdance from a girl and nothing much happened for the little me, but one of the guys flashed me a smile and a wink and I was up pretty quickly.”

Bucky smirked. "Well, I'm no stripper, but yeah, not just the wolf. It was before I saw you as a human, but now I'm pretty sure I'm super attracted to you."

"If we're changing our relationship status from fake dating to actual dating, it may be best that you're not a stripper. I wouldn't have to get jealous of other guys getting to see your abs."

"Well… we barely know each other," Bucky said. "My wolf instincts tell me to jump right in, but… I know human relationships don't exactly work like that."

Yeah, I'm going to need the dating stuff before our wolves get a say." Clint nodded, "But I am very interested in a possible us."

"I suppose that's good to know, then." Turning away from Clint, Bucky got up and grabbed the pair of dark blue sweatpants he had picked up to use as sleeping pants. He didn't have a care in the world as he dropped his towel to the floor and slipped them on. They were a little smaller than he was expecting…

"You know, I didn't think I was into older men, and granted not all older guys look as good as you do, except maybe Steve Rogers the great Captain America himself who they found a few years ago in some ice, I guess, looking like he's still in his twenties. But anyway, those pants hug your ass in all the right ways that it's hard to think of you being so much older."

Bucky was midway through picking up his towel when Clint mentioned that name. Steve Rogers… it was familiar somehow. Like it belonged to a person he had known since he was a kid, but he couldn't remember a face. Maybe it was just some target of his that he had eliminated in the past. Bucky thought nothing more of it as he looked back up at Clint and smirked. “Hope it’s a nice view.”

“Very nice.” Clint agreed, “Wanna toss me my pajama pants since you’re up?”

“Maybe, or you could just stay in that towel. You look pretty nice in it,” Bucky flirted.

“Maybe i’ll save that for a little later in the relationship. “For now, you can peek when I switch it out for the bottoms.” Clint winked. The man had already seen him fully naked, after all, and having grown up in a circus, Clint had learned quickly not to be shy about his body.

The brunet chuckled, moving to grab Clint’s sleeping pants. He tossed them at the blond. “Alright, I guess I can let you be decent.”

Clint smiled and got up enough to let the towel fall away before he slipped into them, he tied the drawstrings into a bow and hung his towel on a hook to dry before flopping back onto the bed, looking over at Bucky. “So, just to confirm...we’re actual dating now?”

Bucky moved to sit next to Clint on the bed, sighing. “As much as I’d love to… I mean, we’ve only known each other for two days. I know I kissed you earlier, but uh… I think that was more the wolf acting out. Not that I wouldn’t want to kiss you again.”

“You realize the dating thing is where most couples get to know each other, right? Plenty of people these days decide to date after knowing each other after a much shorter amount of time than we have. Things like kissing is just a bonus to the main point of getting to know each other and finding ourselves falling in love, ideally.”

"Oh, well I guess I'm used to the much longer process that I had back in my day. I guess dating sounds like a good idea then.”

“Them Hydra crazies didn’t let you get out much, hu? Don’t worry, we’ll go as slow as either of us need.” Clint said, reaching over to give Bucky’s hand a squeeze. “If you only want to hold hands, then that’s as far as we’ll go for now.”

“Well, I did just straight up kiss you in public a little bit ago, so maybe kisses are on the menu as well.”

“I do not have a problem with that. No problem at all. None.” Clint smiled, shifting a little closer to the middle of the bed, and therefore closer to Bucky.

“Noted.” Bucky cringed again. “Damn… stupid programming… Sorry, I don’t mean to sound so automatic or soldier...ish.”

“I don’t mind your quirks if you don’t mind mine. Soldier, hu? That’s definitely better than what I was before...all this.” Clint waved his hand vaguely in the air, “I was a carnie. Performed acrobatics and trick shots with a bow in the big tent, along with the basic helping out wherever I was needed that everyone was expected to do. They called me the Amazing Hawkeye.”

“The Amazing Hawkeye. Has a catchy sound to it. I didn’t have any name for a while other than the Asset, or… the Winter Soldier.” Bucky shuddered.

“Asset is so lame and impersonal, and Winter Soldier? Eh, not the best, but not the worst. I wouldn’t call you that, though. Bucky fits you a lot better, I think.”

“Yeah, because it’s an actual name. Asset or Winter Soldier make me sound like a weapon, just a thing to be used when Hydra wants to use me. Makes me sick to my stomach thinking that they only thought of me like that.”

“The circus troop my brother and I joined wanted me to use my skills with a bow to help them pull off heists. Wanted me to aim to kill. When I refused, I guess they decided I had no value and they gave me to Hydra for their experiments. I know it’s not the same, but I feel like I can understand the feeling a little…”

"Wanted for only your skills. It's a hard truth to face, and it's nasty. If I had a choice, no one would ever have to go through that shit."

“You’re free of them. Now you get to do what you want. No more ‘Asset’, no more ‘Winter Soldier’, just Bucky and our little pack of two.” Clint comforted.

"A nice little pack." Bucky sighed and curled into Clint, pressing his nose into the blond's neck to take in the scent there.

“Yeah, it is nice.” Clint smiled and ran his fingers through Bucky’s damp hair. “We’ll figure things out together.”

"Together is all I want now… Tired of being alone."

“Can’t hear you if you’re talking. But if you’re not, the mouthing at my neck feels nice.”

Bucky hummed, turning his head enough to start placing little kisses along the blond's neck. They were lazy kisses, hardly promising of leading anywhere, but Bucky enjoyed showing a little affection towards his possible future mate.

Clint chuckled, tilting his head for Bucky, “Yup, definitely nice.”

The brunet worked his way up Clint's neck until he was sitting up to kiss the blond properly, opting to be more gentle with their second kiss since his human mind was in control.

Clint smiled into the kiss before leaning closer, not to deepen it, but to encourage it as he kissed back.

The kiss didn't last for too long, Bucky secretly fearing that going on any longer would trigger his wolf side to take over, and the wolf had zero interest in simply kissing. So the brunet pulled back, licking his lips like he was yearning for another kiss. "Well, that was better than the last kiss, I think."

Clint shrugged with a happily content look on his face, “I liked both kisses, really.”

"Yeah I bet you did. You've been kissed twice by an alpha wolf, I'd think a lot of people would enjoy that." Bucky smirked as he pulled back.

“I’m pretty sure when people think of an alpha wolf, you aren’t what they’re imagining and therefore would not be interested. I’m just lucky to know that this wolf has a super sexy human form.” Clint Grinned, leaning in to press a short kiss to Bucky’s lips.

"I'm the lucky one. You came along at the perfect time, and I'm glad we got to escape together."

“Well, We both needed luck after what Hydra did to us.”

Bucky nodded, moving to lay next to again. "I'm glad your brother was a dick to you, only because it brought us together. I hate your brother otherwise."

Clint gave a sad smile. He agreed, but it still hurt to remember what had happened. “I never told him...that I was into guys. I mean, he’s always been tolerant with LGBT people, there’s a fair amount in the circus troop after all, but…”

He shrugged and sighed, “My brother has always had too much of our father in him. And while he would never get drunk or hit me, I guess some part of me felt that that might change if he found out I was gay. It’s one thing to be fine with knowing gay people, it’s another thing to be closely related to one. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s a bit crazy that he indirectly is responsible for me getting my first boyfriend. All the other guys I’ve been with were just little one night flings that were easy to hide.”

"You've never been in a relationship before? Hell, no wonder you want to do the whole dating thing. I don't mind that, though. I want what you want. I want you to be happy… And I really want to be with you…"

“Yup, first boyfriend. I’m looking forward to doing cute dating things with you.” Clint smiled.

"We'll do every cute thing you want, no strings attached. You deserve it."

“And any dating things you want. It’s been a long time for you, right? I’d be up for some cute old-fashioned dates as well.”

"We can go dancing," Bucky said, his eyes lighting up. "I'll show you all my favorite songs… I remember some of my favorite songs now."

Clint grinned, “We’ll definitely dance to your favorite songs. Might have to teach me how, though.”

"It's easy once you get the hang of it. You just need to focus on moving your feet to the beat of the music. Once you've got that down, dancing to anything is easy."

“In my experience there are only a few things I’m graceful at, so we’ll see if acrobatics can translate to dance. All I can promise that I’ll do my best any time you want to go dancing.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, especially if you did acrobatics in the past. Dancing isn’t as complicated as that.”

“Maybe not, but it’s on the ground. The ground isn’t always my friend.” Clint chuckled.

"I won't get offended if you step on my feet accidentally," Bucky said with a chuckle.

“Good, because I give your toes a 95 percent chance of getting stepped on. And I’ll probably stumble a few times. Falling on my face...well, that depends on how well you’re able to catch me. And if you do, there is a hundred percent chance I’ll use a really cheesy pickup line about how I’m falling for you.”

Bucky snorted. “I used to use those cheesy pickup lines myself. Real romantic, I used to be. Or I just flirted with everyone I thought was pretty.”

“I bet you were popular with the ladies and gents of the day. Though, depending on how far back, you probably had to hide your flirting with the guys, right? History hasn’t been kind to people like us… Do you remember if you used to go to one of those secret gay clubs? I always wondered how people even found out about them so they could go and dance with a partner of the same gender.”

"I think I did go to one at one point… I'm not exactly sure, though. I do know I had to hide flirting with the guys though."

“Well, times are different now. There are still bigots here and there, but people like us are much more accepted. Accepted enough for us to be open about it if we want. And seeing as you already publicly proclaimed us to be a couple, and then later kissed me out in the open, I think it’s safe to say we’re open about us. No more dark closets to hide in.”

"I'm glad we finally don't have to hide. Makes life so much easier."

“And sweeter.” Clint gave Bucky a peck on the lips before pulling back and slipping under the covers, “Come on, we spent a night out in the cold, let's take advantage of having blankets.”

"I agree," Bucky said, curling up with Clint while wrapping his arms around the blond. It was definitely going to be nice to sleep in a bed rather than an old den for once.

“So much better than in the dirt or on a metal table. Never thought I’d miss my makeshift straw mattress covered in a sheet I had to sleep on, but that table made me long for it.” Clint chuckled, shifting to rest his head on Bucky’s flesh shoulder.

“I can’t tell you the last time I slept on an actual bed. Never really slept properly after missions. They always just froze me and waited until I was needed again.”

“A bed of ice, hu? Yup, you had it worse. Ice is worse than metal.”

“Both are pretty cold. At least we can find some comfort in being warm while sleeping for once.”

“Having someone to curl up with is nice, too.”

Bucky nodded. “Gone too long without contact from another person who wasn’t Hydra and who I wasn’t killing. I’m very glad I have you now…”

“Feeling a tad touch-starved?” Clint asked, sliding a hand down along Bucky’s arm entwine their fingers. “I can fix that.”

“You have no idea,” Bucky said with a groan. He curled into Clint more, hiding his face into the blond’s chest.

Clint smiled, “Let’s just turn in early tonight. Get some good rest before tackling everything we need to do tomorrow.”

The brunet nodded against Clint, sighing heavily as his wolf mindset took over, and before too long, he was asleep and more relaxed than he had been in far too long. It felt nice, and really, maybe he could get used to it if he allowed himself to really take the dating thing as far as he was hoping to get. All those happy thoughts were what lulled Bucky to sleep, safely tucked into Clint’s side.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Clint woke up first, groaning as he rolled over and stretched before he sat up and rubbed his eyes. The TV was still on, as was the light overhead; a testament to how tired the two of them had been. Well, the TV didn’t bother Clint as it would Bucky, but the light should have disturbed his sleep. 

He got up and flipped off the light and TV before shuffling into the bathroom to relieve himself and rinse out his mouth. They’d have to pick up toothbrushes and paste so they could get rid of morning breath properly. Then he returned to the bed, settling back in next to Bucky once more.

Bucky hardly stirred when Clint got back into the bed. He might have grunted, or snorted, or made some sort of canine sounding noise, but his eyes remained closed, his face covered by the blankets and his hair messy and sprawled out across the pillow. The man was clearly not moving unless he was moved by someone else.

“We need to get you a brush.” Clint teased lightly, using his fingers to try and comb out the mess of hair that he could get to “That, or you need to go to bed with your hair braided to prevent the nest you have going here.”

Bucky grunted and turned his head, finally opening his eyes to look up at Clint. “My hair is fine,” he mumbled.

“Sure, if you’re a bird.” Clint teased, kissing his temple, “I’m going to go see about that free coffee in the mornings that the guy at the front desk mentioned, wanna come?”

Groaning, Bucky sat up and yawned. “Sure, why not. We need to get a head start on job hunting anyways.”

“Yeah, and I need coffee to successfully be a person. It was pure luck I was able to people so well yesterday.” Clint stretched again and moved over to the dresser to grab a shirt and the jeans he’d worn the day before for a short time to start getting dressed. As he pulled the shirt over his head, he yawned, the shirt awkwardly getting caught in his mouth for a moment.

Bucky’s eyes lingered on Clint as he got up and moved to grab his own clothes. He was still exhausted, he noted, but at least he wasn’t waking up around a bunch of Hydra scientists who wanted to stick him with needles. Clint only wanted breakfast, and Bucky was thankful for the simplicity of waking up next to a normal person.

“Coffee, coffee… my first love, I’m coming…” Clint muttered to himself as he shoved his feet into his boots and pulled on his coat.

The muttering made Bucky smile, and once he was dressed and his hair looked somewhat decent, he shuffled over to Clint and kissed the blond’s cheek. “Sounds like I have some competition for your love,” he said.

“Yup, My top five loves. Each one is my first depending on the time. Mornings Coffee is my first, lunch or dinner, it’s pizza, any time there is a dog, then the dog is my first, when I have a bow in my hand, it's archery...and now we gotta figure out how you fit in. Maybe Bucky will be all the time in between.”

"I do like the sound of that. Being the one love that's constant among the others."

Clint smiled, “Come on, constant, coffee awaits.”

Bucky chuckled and wrapped his arm around Clint's waist before grabbing a key to the room and heading out. "I have to admit, this feels a little weird to me," he said after they left the room. "I usually wake up to a bunch of needles. Now I'm waking up to a cute blond and the freedom to go get a cup of coffee."

“Well I can promise you I’ll always wake up looking for coffee, and never needles.” Clint chuckled, leaning into Bucky’s side as they made their way towards the promised coffee.

"That's the best promise I think I've ever gotten."

Clint pressed a kiss to Bucky’s shoulder as they stepped inside the main office where a table was set up with coffee pots, mugs, and a toaster and bread for toast. It wasn’t much in the way of a breakfast, but it was free and included coffee.

Clint peeled away from Bucky’s side as soon as he spotted the coffee, pouring himself a mug and downing the whole thing before refilling it and moving to put some bread in the toaster.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at your ability to consume lots of coffee,” Bucky said once they found a little spot to sit down and look outside while having their small breakfast. “I saw you drink a bunch yesterday at the diner.”

“Don’t know if there are any gods up there, but if there are, coffee is their gift to humanity. It’d be a crime to not accept such a gift fully and in the way it was meant to be enjoyed.” Clint hummed into his mug before setting it down and biting into his toast.

“It seems like you’re the god of coffee, as much as you drink it.”

“If I am, then I demand to know where my magic coffee powers are so I can fill any mug with coffee and spread the joy to all sleep-deprived peeps of the world.”

“You let me know when you get those powers. They’d be very useful, especially now. I honestly think I could go back to bed.”

“I’m used to early mornings. Circus hours, you know. I wish I could sleep in, but it may take me time to be able to adjust to being able to do that. After we eat, you can go back to the room for a few more hours while I go try to find myself a job, maybe one that will give a small advance on the first paycheck so we can pick up a few things.”

“I… don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be alone for a while. At least until we know Hydra isn’t nearby.”

“Well, I guess it’s your call if you go back to bed or not.” Clint shrugged, “But you know, we might not be able to find jobs in the same place. And I can fend for myself if attacked. Hydra wouldn't have gotten me at all if the people I trusted hadn’t betrayed me.”

“I know, I’m just paranoid right now, I guess. I’ve tried escaping before, and that didn’t end well. I still had my collar on, and they used that against me. Worst day of my life, being dragged back to the labs while I was limp in wolf form and just let them do whatever they wanted to me.” Bucky sighed and took a sip of his coffee.

Clint reached over the table to touch Bucky’s hand, “They can’t track us so easily, and we did a fair amount of doubling back and creating false trails to follow even if the rain and snow doesn’t erase everything.”

"I know. I should know how to properly lose a trail and hide, but it's still in the back of my mind that Hydra is everywhere… and if we're not careful, we could get caught again."

“If they come and spot me, I’ll go straight to you so we can escape again together.” Clint promised.

“That’s good to know. Glad you’ll be willing to stay with me, even if I am a former Hydra weapon.” Bucky smiled, moving closer to kiss Clint.

“I never saw you as a weapon. I met you as a big scary wolf who took one look at me and decided to take me with him on his great escape from the crazy scientists who had been poking me with needles.”

“I know you never did. You’ve never seen me as an assassin. I was the top weapon Hydra had… they wanted to try to make someone else better than me, but all their experiments failed. Then there was you, and you survived being injected with the serum, and you know how to switch back and forth between wolf and human. You keep your sanity, and that makes you as good as me. If they had gotten the chance to train you, brainwash you… well, who knows what they would have turned you into?”

Clint was quiet a moment, thinking back to his brief time at Hydra’s mercy.

“Bucky….what’s… at one point after they injected me with everything, one of the scientists came in and took a blood sample, saying they needed to find out my ‘true gender’ so they knew what setting to put ‘the chair’ on, or whatever. I figure the gender thing was the alpha-omega thing but I haven't figured out the chair thing that was mentioned…”

Bucky went rigid, lips tightening into a thin line. “The chair… that’s where they brainwash you, where they control you and turn you into a damn weapon…”

Clint swallowed, “They really were going to do that to me...what they did to you…”

The brunet looked up at Clint from his cup of coffee. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I found you before they did that to you…”

“Me too...I like being myself and making my own choices.”

“We were both lucky to escape Hydra… They would have done so many bad things to us.” Bucky sighed and shifted his chair closer so they could bump their shoulders together.

Clint leaned into him, “I’m sorry they hurt you.” he whispered.

Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Bucky leaned into Clint. “It’s in the past now. I’ve been to rock bottom, so… the only way to go is up.”

“And we go up together.” Clint finished his toast and sipped down the rest of his coffee, “Ready for the job hunt?”

“Yeah, let’s get a move on so we can beat other people looking for jobs. Not that there are many in this small town.” Bucky smiled and stood up.

Clint took Bucky’s mug and finished off his coffee before taking both mugs over to where the dirty dishes were collected. “Okay, ready.”

Soon the two were out on the streets looking for work, parting ways so they could find jobs that would suit themselves as individuals. For Bucky, a gun shop might have been the best option, had it not been for the fact that he was worried something about working in a gun shop led to the thought process that he might be triggered somehow to become the Winter Soldier again. He wasn’t willing to risk that chance, but he didn’t know much else but war and fixing things up. 

A mechanic shop caught his eye after applying in person to a few other places. He knew how to fix things up pretty well, especially cars. Needing getaway vehicles was something that occasionally came up in his work as an assassin, and though he had mostly just used motorcycles, he figured working on cars was just similar enough that he could possibly get a job as a mechanic. He walked into the main office while unzipping his coat. The snow had still been falling when he and Clint went out on the town searching for jobs, so he also brushed the snow off his shoulders as he entered. He sighed at how warm it was inside. The little bell that chimed as he walked in was charming, just like the rest of the small town they had taken shelter in.

The man sitting at a desk, filling out paperwork glanced up and smiled, “How may I help you? Did your car break down?”

“No, I was actually looking for some work,” Bucky started. “My… partner and I got swept down the river away from everything we had. Our car is somewhere up river, and we lost everything that was on our bodies when we fell in the river. I’m just looking for some cash to help pay rent at the motel.”

“Do you have any experience?” the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve fixed lots of bikes in the past. A few cars, but I’m a quick learner. You put a car in front of me and I’ll figure out what I can do to fix it.”

The man tapped his pen on the paper in front of him a few times before sucking in a breath and standing up, “I’ll give you a trial run—mostly because I could use the help. Winter tends to bring in more car troubles between the cold messing with car batteries and idiots forgetting how to drive just because it’s not warm out anymore. Show me you know enough not to slow down my half of the work too much, and I’ll let you stay on as long as you need. I’ll even give you an advance if you can fix the problem of a van that was just dropped off a half hour ago. Consider it your first test.”

“Thank you, sir,” Bucky said with a smile. “I’ll get to work on it right away. Just show me where it is.”

“Right this way...Uh...I don’t believe I caught your name?”

“Bucky,” the brunet responded with a smile. “Just call me Bucky.”

“Bucky.” The man nodded, “I’m Joey.”

Joey led Bucky into the work garage and over to the van to see what Bucky could do.

* * *

Clint had split off from Bucky during their job search, trying the places he thought would better fit his own skills. He’d been having no luck at all when he found himself passing by a flower shop. Really, he had no clue about flowers, but remembering that Bucky has said he had a flowery scent, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn about flower arrangements if the job gave him extra protection from being tracked down by Hydra. Bucky might even feel better about them not working in the same place if he was surrounded by plants that would help hide his scent.

Bucky’s protectiveness was understandable in their situation, and it was a little cute, even if inconvenient. Plus once Clint had pointed out reason, Bucky had given in, not wanting to be controlling or pushy about it.

Making up his mind, Clint pushed open the door and stepped inside, looking around for someone he could talk to about a job.

The place was a bit sparse in terms of flowers, but there were enough to keep the business open. Upon hearing Clint come in, a woman came to the front desk and smiled. "Hi there. I should warn you, we're out of a few flowers due to the season, so I can help you find good options that are in season."

“Actually, I came in hoping for a job?” Clint asked, giving her a shy smile, “My boyfriend and I ran into rotten luck and lost everything we owned to a river so we’re looking for jobs to get back on our feet.”

"Oh that is rotten luck. Well, I don't have much in terms of work, but I can certainly use a helper around here. We won't bother with taxes and all that, so I can pay you in direct cash. I'm assuming you need to start right away?"

“That would be...really ideal, actually. Just tell me what to do and I’ll take care of it for you.”

"Got it. Let me show you around, and we'll get you working until closing today."

“Thank you very much. I’m Clint, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Clint, I’m Summer. Hardly the fitting name for this time of year, but my parents weren’t too creative when I was born right in the middle of July.”

“I like it. Sounds warm.” Clint smiled.

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? Would you believe me if I said I have a sister named Autumn?”

“Is your brother named Spring?” Clint laughed and flinched, “Yikes, I hope not. Kids could be very cruel with their teasing if a kid was named Spring…”

"Thankfully I don't have anyone but that sister. I don't think I could handle another season themed sibling."

“If there were four of you, your family might be obligated to legally change your last name to ‘Year’ or something.”

Summer laughed. “We might as well have that last name, with my sister and I having the names we do. I think our parents just didn’t know what name sounded better, so they just went with the seasons we were born in.”

“Well, there are worse names. Oh, and one more thing you should know about me while I work here...I’m deaf, so if you need me, you’ll have to tap my shoulder or something to get my attention. That’s not going to be a problem is it?”

“Oh no, that won’t be a problem at all. I’ll just make sure you’re working on something that doesn’t require you to listen.”

“What, have magical singing flowers that need attention sometimes? Clint teased “Oh! Is that why tulips are called ‘two lips’?”

“I suppose that is possible. Oh, I do have a question though. Or a statement rather… I’m not exactly sure what’s respectful to the deaf community and what’s not. I know looking at a conversation in sign is like eavesdropping, right?”

Clint shrugged, “Depends on if you know sign or not. If you do, then yeah, it’s eavesdropping. If you don’t, you’ll come off as gawking, unless it’s a kid, in which we just assume the kid is curious. But yeah, an adult watching a conversation for too long when they aren’t a part of the conversation is considered rude at best. Do you know sign? Because if so, it’d be a lot more accurate than having me read your lips all the time.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know much more than the alphabet,” Summer admitted. “Learned it in school long ago, but no one ever bothered to teach me more.”

“Well, if you need me to know very specific instructions, you can spell it out for me. I’m pretty good at lip reading, but I still miss things and have to fill in the blanks, and that’s when I’m not tired or distracted. Or you can write it down for me. I’m just glad you’re willing to let me work still. It can be hard to find work once people find out I can’t hear.”

“I don’t judge anyone, and I try to make things as comfortable as possible for people who aren’t like me. Just doing my part to make the world a little bit better.”

“I wish more people were like you.” Clint smiled. His luck previously had always gone south as soon as he mentioned his deafness. The coffee shop had been so promising, even offering him a free coffee when he came in to work… The owner there was nice enough, but not very understanding when it came to the idea of working with a deaf employee. It was a shame, but Clint tried not holding it against the man...or any of the others who had backed out on giving him a job that morning. The important thing was that he found a job this time and Bucky wouldn’t be the only one bringing in cash for them to live on.

“Me too,” Summer said with a sigh. “Let me show you how to run things around here, then we’ll get you set up with work for the rest of the day.”

“Sounds great.” 

* * *

Clint let himself back into his and Bucky’s motel room, shutting the door behind him and kicking off his boots before shrugging out of his coat. Then he tossed a paper shopping bag onto the bed next to Bucky; the contents spilling out. Two toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a hairbrush.

“Took a few tries, but I landed a job. Picked up a few things on my way home with the money I earned today, and paid for what we stole. The worker was understanding, luckily. And I still have some cash left to start our savings with.”

Bucky sat up as he looked at the things Clint had bought. “You earned money already? Damn, lucky… I have to wait to be called and told if they want me or not; got paid a little for my test, but it isn’t much. Work took me an hour so I got paid for an hour’s work.”

“Yeah, Summer’s great. Pays me cash under the table at the end of my shift for the day. I’m working at the flower shop downtown.” he pulled out the leftover money from that day’s work, grabbed the paper bag,slipped it inside and hid the bag in one of the drawers under their clothes. Then he flopped onto the bed, his head in Bucky’s lap, “So where is your potential job?”

“Fixing cars, changing oil, that sort of thing. I know how to do most of that for a motorcycle, so I figured why not do it for cars as well?” Bucky sighed and ran a hand through Clint’s hair.

“Should be decent pay if they do take you on.” Clint nodded, “Things are looking up already.”

“Somehow, yeah… The flower shop will be safe for you. You’ll be able to blend into the scents there. Smart choice.”

“I figured you’d approve of that.” Clint smiled, “Plus it’s easier work than the circus had been. I mostly sweep floors and move heavy bags of soil and fertilizer around for Summer. She handles the customers and the flower arrangements. Plus there’s no grumpy lions to deal with.”

"Do you get a uniform for that work? Or are you just in normal clothes?"

“Normal clothes, but I do get an apron. It’s actually kind of cute.”

"You should show it to me once you get it. I wanna see how cute it is." Bucky smirked.

“Well, I’m assuming it’ll look similar to the one Summer had on. And she asked me my favorite color. Apparently her sister is a seamstress and makes aprons for her. Today I used her extra one which was a bit small on me, but it helped protect my clothes from getting dirty. I will be bringing it back with me to wash once a week, so I’m sure you’ll see it if you don’t come to the shop.”

Bucky made a noise that he was slightly glad Clint couldn't quite hear. "Well…shower is open if you need to clean up. Sounds like we have some cash to order some food for dinner, so while you clean up, I can get us a pizza."

“Ah, you know the way straight to my heart.” Clint grinned, pushing himself up and kissing Bucky’s lips, “Okay, I’ll go get cleaned up.”

He grabbed the items he’d bought and his pajamas and towel before disappearing into the bathroom.

Sighing, Bucky counted up how much cash they had, then he looked up the number of the local pizza place, ordering a couple of pizzas, hoping that Clint would like either of them. Once that was taken care of, he switched into his sleeping pants and turned on the TV to keep himself occupied until the pizza arrived.

“Don’t smell pizza yet so I’m guessing I beat the delivery.” Clint said, coming out in his pajamas and tossing his clothes from the day to the side before sliding onto the bed and curling up into Bucky’s side.

"Nope, no pizza yet. Soon though." Bucky sighed and wrapped an arm around Clint.

“Then I guess you get to be my first love for a little longer” Clint chuckled, stretching his neck to press another kiss to Bucky’s lips. Unlike the last one, this one was slow and lingering. Inviting Bucky into something deeper if he wanted, but staying light and easily broken if he didn't.

Bucky welcomed the kiss and pulled Clint closer, but after a bit, he himself pulled back and sighed lightly. "Sorry…"

Clint blinked, confused. “About..?”

“About pulling away. My wolf was getting a bit excited, and I… I didn’t want it to take control in a situation like this. Not yet anyways.”

“Wolf excited… _Oh!_ ” Clint’s eyes flickered down to Bucky’s crotch and then back up, his cheeks flushing red. “Oh…”

Bucky turned bright red, chewing on his lip and looking away awkwardly. “Wolf likes to move fast, since you smell like mate…”

“I wonder why my wolf doesn’t react the same way...think it’s too new and puppy-like to recognize the smell of mate or whatever? I mean, I’m twenty-two, but my wolf is only a few days old and still adjusting to the world. I spotted a cat on my walk home and had to fight my wolf on the idea of chasing it.”

“Your wolf definitely still has the mindset of a puppy. It’ll take a little longer for that to change, like maybe a week or two? I can’t remember how long it took mine. It’s possible your wolf hasn’t recognized the scent yet because of that.”

“Fast-growing pupper.” Clint laughed, resting back onto Bucky’s shoulder, “Sorry for getting your wolf a little too excited.”

“It’s fine, I’m just used to taking things slower, but my wolf has other ideas.”

“First time dating someone when you have your wolf?” Clint observed the obvious out loud.

Bucky smirked. “Of course, I’ve only had Hydra for years now, and anyone there really doesn’t seem like dating material.”

“Yeah, definitely not. Those people are completely crazy. Their idea of a good time is most definitely not a good time in my experience. Best stick with me. I’m weird, but not crazy.”

“So far you’ve given me a better time than anyone in Hydra has, so I think it’s safe to say that I’m sticking with you.”

“Good.” Clint took Bucky’s hand and pressed a kiss to his fingers, not reacting at all when a knock sounded at the door. “Because I think I want to stick with you, too.”

"What a relief," the brunet said as he got up from the bed and headed to the door with cash in hand. A few minutes passed before he was returning to the bed with two pizzas in his hands.

“Aw, pizza, yes!” Clint sat up, folding his legs in front of him as he opened one of the pizza boxes and grabbed a slice. “Ah, I love your cheesy goodness!”

“And there goes my status as first love,” Bucky said with a chuckle, also grabbing a slice.

“Nothing personal, pretty boy, but pizza! Aw man, I love pizza!”

"At least I know what to get you whenever you're down."

“Any of my other loves.” Clint grinned, “Oh man, if we ever get to the point where we can settle into a forever home, can we get a dog? Dog kisses would definitely chase away any sad feelings!”

"Being a wolf not enough dog for you?" Bucky chuckled as he took a bit of pizza. "I'm sure I'd be open to the idea of getting a dog if the opportunity arises."

“I mean, I could treat your wolf form as a dog, but I can’t cuddle the human you and the ‘dog’ you at the same time.”

"I don't think my wolf side would like being a dog very much." 

“So...no fetch?” Clint smirked around a mouthful of pizza.

"Oh if you throw a stick I might chase after it. Not guarantees I'll be bringing it back though." 

“Not even for belly-rubs?”

“As tempting as it sounds, I don’t think a promise of belly rubs will get me to bring you back a stick.”

“Ball? Squeaky toy?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow as he smirked. “You won’t entice me while I’m in this form, you know.”

“That’s why I’m speaking to your wolf. If he knows when we are kissing and can get excited about it, then he knows when we are talking, too.”

“Wow, you’re quite literally trying to get under my skin. Clever little thing.” Bucky took another slice of pizza and took a large bite out of it. “Well then, if you want to rile up my wolf, then how about we go for a run tonight?”

“Yeah? Let our wolves lose a bit? That—that sounds really nice, actually.”

"It's healthy to let the wolf take over for a bit. Otherwise you let it build up until it escapes and does something you'll regret."

Clint nodded, trying hard not to think too much on what that implied. “Yeah….lets go for a nice refreshing run before bed.”

“Maybe we'll get lucky and it’ll be snowing again. Snow is nice to watch when you’re not in the middle of an assassination mission…”

“Is that what they made you do for them?” Clint asked, lowering his mostly eaten slice of pizza.

“Every single mission. Find the target, eliminate, report. Like clockwork, every time the outcome was the same.” Bucky sighed.

“Fucking bastards...if they wanted blood, they should have gotten it on their own hands, not yours.” He leaned in closer and bumped their shoulders together. “I guess they wanted us both for our skills, our freedom of choice and morals be damned, hu?”

“Hydra used to preach a new world order where things would be better, but as soon as they converted me to be used for their sick games, I saw through the lies. Deep down they’re still fucking nazis.”

Clint stiffened, sitting up straight and looking at Bucky more head-on. “Sorry, did I read your lips right? Did you just say...that Hydra is like…a group of Nazis? Like… World War Two super racist and homophobic German government? With the concentration camps and all that? I thought Nazis were all gone the way of the dodo. They should be gone…”

Bucky shook his head stiffly, as if he were afraid Hydra would burst through the door at any moment. “Hydra went off the radar after the war ended. They never left, they’ve always been around, and they will be for a while.”

“Fuck, my brother handed me over to fucking Nazis. I—I just thought they were a group of mad scientists...you know, with all the experiments and serums and injections, and everything…” 

Yeah, this was worse than he’d thought. The betrayal of his brother panged his heart all over again. Granted, Barney never knew Clint was gay, but the fact was he had just handed his gay little brother over to a group of people who have historically murdered millions of innocent people, even children. He thought about the pink triangle and shivered. It was bad enough that Nazis still existed in their secret Hydra group, but it was also all just too personal. 

“We’re never going back there, right?”

"You'd have to be one of them to even want to go back," Bucky said. "We are _never_ going back to them, no matter how hard they try to get us back."

Clint nodded, trusting Bucky. He knew them, had been forced to work for them for years. If anyone knew how to hide from them, it’d be Bucky. But just running and hiding didn’t seem enough. Hydra needed to fall to extinction.

“...Maybe we should alert Captain America that there are still Nazis needing to be punched out of existence.”

As soon as the name was spoken, a memory violently flooded back to Bucky's mind, an old friend with blond hair smiling up at him and saying some witty line that earned the little guy a punch to the shoulder. Bucky dropped his pizza and slid off the bed, gasping.

“Bucky? Bucky, you okay?” Clint asked, alarmed as he scrambled to kneel next to Bucky on the floor, “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Bucky closed his eyes and let the breath out slowly. “Y-yeah, just… a memory came back to me. You mentioned Captain America again, and… I feel like I knew him…”

“Like you… _know_ him know him, or you know _of_ him?” Clint asked gently.

"Like he was a best friend… I knew him personally."

“Personally...wow, okay, so you are at least that old… If you were friends...do you think he’d help us if we can get in touch with him?”

"I have no idea," Bucky admitted. "I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that he's also still alive. I'm just hoping that if he was a friend, that Hydra didn't get to him like they got me."

“From what has been released publicly about him suddenly making a reappearance, he was found in a block of ice in the North Atlantic Ocean. They brought him home and defrosted him and gave him quite the culture shock. Now he’s the leader of a group of heroes called the Avengers.”

Bucky looked up at Clint and sighed. "They might be a good place to run to once we have enough money. Do you know where they're located?"

“New York City, usually. They have some bases in other cities as well, but based on the news, they tend to stay the most in New York when not out on missions.”

"Then we can figure out how far we need to go. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get enough money for a plane ticket and some passports… do you know anyone we can trust that we can get passports from?”

“Uh, this is the first time in my life that I’ve been outside of the US.” Clint shrugged, “Pretty sure I need to get a passport on the other side of the border if we are going that route. It’ll probably be way easier for us to go wolf and cross. No one would bat an eye at two wolves crossing over if it’s near a wooded area. Animals can cross freely. People can’t. So maybe we should just look into how much it’ll cost to get close to the border, then cross as wolves, then get to New York from there.”

“We definitely need to cross the border as wolves, but there’s no way we’d make it the whole trip as wolves. Normal wolves can travel up to 30 miles in a day, and being werewolves, we’d make it only a little farther than that. Getting a car might be an investment that’s worth it. The trip could be cut down to a few days rather than a few months.”

“Or we could take a bus route. Cheaper that way. Cheaper options are best in our situation, especially if we plan to splurge on some aids for my human ears.”

Bucky nodded. “We’ll get you hearing aids before we leave town for good. I don’t want you to be caught off guard by Hydra if we run into them on our way to New York.”

Clint nodded, “Being able to hear things does help prevent things sneaking up on me.” he agreed before taking both of Bucky’s hands and pulling him up, “Come on, lets finish eating, and then go on that run.”

“And then another actual good night of sleep.” Bucky sighed as he got back on the bed and picked up a fresh slice of pizza, eating it quietly as he watched what was on the TV.

Once they had eaten their full, Clint ripped one of the pizza boxes and folded it so that it was a much smaller box—a trick he and Barney had used many times in order to save space in the mini fridge they had in their small living space—and stuck it in the mini fridge provided by the motel room.

“Okay, how are we doing this? Walk to the woods as humans, strip down and go wolf after hiding our clothes, or are we slipping out as wolves?” he asked, turning to look at Bucky.

“We go to the woods as humans,” Bucky said. “Hide our clothes and go from there. It’d be more convenient if we had collars to attach the room keys to, but for now we just go to the trees like this.”

“We’ll get collars soon. I think I’ll try attaching a little pouch to mine for my aids.” Clint said, pulling on his coat and making sure he had his room key in a zipped pocket before grabbing his boots.

"A smart idea. That way you'll never lose them and you'll always have them when you shift back to human."

“Well, less likely to lose them. If I don’t have time to take them out and put them in the pouch before I shift, I’ll lose them. I just hope that won’t have to happen. Okay, I’m ready.”

Bucky grabbed a room key and shoved it in his pocket, pulling his coat around him. "Let's go for a run, then."

Getting to the edge of town unnoticed felt long and tedious. The two made their moves carefully so as to not draw attention to themselves. They didn't know many people in the town yet, so it was best not to make anyone suspicious, in case Hydra was closer than they expected. Needless to say, Bucky was happy to be in the trees and away from the evening traffic of the small town. He found a good spot to hide their clothes and keys, then he started stripping down, shivering as the cold air hit his exposed skin.

Clint wiggled out of his clothes, trying hard not to shiver as he took time to slip everything into their hiding spot before he very quickly let his wolf come forward, shifting into fur that protected him from the cold. He shook and sat down, watching Bucky do the same.

Stripping out in the middle of the open air felt strange, but it also felt unexpectedly good to be back on four paws for a bit.

Bucky grunted as he shook into his wolf form, and before he took off running at a dead sprint, he came over to Clint and licked the other wolf’s muzzle. Then he was gone again, barking playfully as he sprinted off.

Clint yipped and took off chasing Bucky, the feel of snow and dirt shifting under his paws, and the cold air ruffling his fur as he jumped and batted playfully at his companion’s tail once he was close enough.

Sliding to a halt, the darker wolf turned and nipped at Clint with another bark, bringing his front paws off the ground and stomping them down into the snow playfully. It was hard to express how good it felt to just play like wolves and not worry about all the things that a human had to keep up with. Now, while simply playing, that was all that was on Bucky's mind.

Clint tackled Bucky over into the snow with a bark before leaping back up and running, weaving between trees in an attempt at starting a game of tag.

Bucky took chase. Taking in huge breaths of air felt amazing, free. To be able to just run around without a care in the world was all Bucky had wanted, but war and Hydra had kept him from being happy in life. Clint was giving him a chance to be happy after everything hydra had done to him, and he wasn't going to waste one second of the freedom he had. Lunging forward, Bucky tackled Clint to the ground with a yip.

Clint huffed out a wolf-ish laugh as they rolled in the snow a bit before they were both up again, turning around so that Cint was chasing Bucky once more.

They played their game of tag for nearly half an hour before Bucky flopped down in the snow, panting heavily and tongue hanging out of his mouth with his ears laid back, relaxed. Nearby was the river, the sound of the rushing water muffled by the snow that had fallen and was continuing to fall once the two wolves took a break from playing.

Clint trotted over, flopping down next to Bucky and giving his ear a playful tug before resting his nose into Bucky’s neck and breathing in his scent.

 _‘Feels great to just be a wolf for a while,’_ Bucky huffed while yawning. _‘Don’t have to deal with anything associated with humans.’_

' _Surprisingly, I agree. Which is strange since I haven't been a werewolf long at all.'_ Clint said, nuzzling himself closer.

 _‘Once you have that chance to have all your human emotions taken away, you really learn how complicated humans are. We’re lucky we have the chance to escape that for a bit.’_ Bucky sighed and shifted his head to lick Clint’s neck.

Clint intercepted it, licking at Bucky's nose before settling down with a sigh. ' _Still prefer sleeping in a bed over an old den, though.'_

_‘You want to try ultimate comfort? Try sleeping in a bed as you wolf. Most relaxed you will ever feel.’_

' _This your way of trying to get me naked in bed with you, Bucky?'_ Clint teased. 

_‘Technically, we’ve already slept together naked in a den. A bed would just make the situation more comfortable.’_

' _Den is den, bed is bed. Complete difference when naked and dating is involved._ '

 _‘When you’re a wolf, I really don’t think that matters much.’_ Bucky snuffled out what sounded like the wolf version of a chuckle.

' _Does when I'm teasing my boyfriend._ '

_‘Well your boyfriend doesn’t think it matters, and it only matters if we’re human.’_

‘ _Let me tease you!_ ’ Clint huffed stubbornly, nipping at and tugging on Bucky’s ear again.

Bucky barked and nipped Clint’s throat. _‘Then let me say that we’ve already slept naked together,’_ he chuffed.

‘ _We weren’t dating yet!’_ Clint insisted, giving his best puppy eyes.

 _‘But we are now, and we’re also naked together.’_ The darker wolf got to his feet and wagged his tail, ears forward and attentive.

 _‘....Good point.’_ Clint was glad his wolf form didn’t blush.

Bucky jumped forward, spraying snow onto Clint's paws. A few barks escaped his mouth before he stepped closer and licked the other's muzzle. _'Come on, let's run some more. I'll chase you this time.'_

Clint hopped up, licked Bucky’s nose, and then took off.

Once again they took chase, and it needn't have been said that Clint was not nearly as fast as Bucky was, especially since the darker wolf was taller and bulkier. But Bucky hung back and let Clint run as fast as he could before catching up and tagging the blond.

Clint and Bucky played tag for another hour before finding their clothes and shifting back human to return to their motel room for the night, falling asleep deep and fast.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

“This is Walmart?” Bucky asked as he and Clint walked up to the front doors of the retail store. “You can literally just buy anything here?”

The two had worked a good two weeks and earned enough paychecks to finally go shopping with. They were easily able to just eat the local wildlife for free, but sometimes a good bologna sandwich just sounded a lot better than a raw rabbit or deer.

“Just about—even more so in American Walmarts. They even have a gun section there which is...strange. I really don’t know how I feel about that. But yeah, it’s nice to have a one-stop shop to get most anything you’d need. Though some sections are very basic, which gives specialty shops a reason to stay open. I definitely think we should go to a pet shop for collars rather than here. Doubt they’ll have much selection, and I’d want to make sure we get ones that are comfortable, and not just what’s convenient.” Clint said as they grabbed a cart.

“If you’re sure. I was thinking buying some here would be discrete and wouldn’t bring up much attention. But I guess you know this store better than I do.” Bucky glanced around, noting how many cameras there were around. He was glad he decided to wear his hat that day.

“Trust me, the pet section is pretty lacking. It’s mostly dry food, chew toys, and fish tank decor.” Clint lowered his voice a bit, leaning into bucky, “And pet shops let people bring in their dogs. My wolf looks enough like a dog where no one would think twice about it so we can make sure the collars we get are the right size. You can just say my old collar wore out and I need a new one while I play up the lovable good boy act.”

“That would be easier, now that you mention it,” Bucky agreed. “So I guess we just worry about finding groceries here. And some clothes if we want new clothes.”

“Clearance section.” Clint suggested, pointing to where a bold sign marked clearance was hanging above a rack of clothes, “Clearance sections are our best friend if we want new clothes that are actually new.”

“I’m all for new clothes, but food is more important right now. If we have a little extra spending money, then I say we can get clothes.”

“Right, food first. I hope cookies are on sale. I’d like to take some in my lunches to work.” 

“Cookies would be nice,” the brunet agreed. “Though at this point, I think anything that’s not deer or rabbit sounds good.”

“Hey, we had squirrel that one time.” Clint pointed out. He’d been the one to catch the squirrel. His first, and still only, successful hunt. He was proud of it, even if it was barely an appetizer for the rabbits Bucky had come back with. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that he’d caught the fluffy-tailed rodent all on his own. Plus one wolf point to Clint. Fuck yeah.

“You did catch a squirrel. Which is good. Your wolf is learning more and getting more like an adult wolf.” Bucky smiled proudly, ruffling Clint’s hair.

Clint grinned, leaning into the touch. If his tail had been out, it’d be wagging. He knew it. He loved it when Bucky praised him or pet him, no matter which form he was in. He was just happy to have Bucky’s touch and attention.

Bucky chuckled as they moved towards the grocery section of the store. “Easy now, don’t get too excited. We wouldn’t want you to rip any of your clothes.”

“Or scare the public, creating front page headlines and leading Hydra straight to us all in one accidental public shift? Yeah, no, my wolf is behaving enough to stay back, even if he does want a tail to wag.” Clint insisted.

“Good.” Bucky grabbed a bag of apples and put them in the cart they had grabbed. “I’m glad to see you’re learning to control your wolf better.”

“I learn from the best.” Clint grinned. “Still, I think it’d be a lot harder if I ever feel threatened, cornered, or scared...I think my wolf would fight me to take over in a situation like that.”

“Well, in those types of situations, it is hard to control the wolf, because your wolf wants to fight. It’s how wolves survive, since they are predators. It’ll be hard to control if you are ever in that type of situation, but if it’s ever a situation that involves Hydra, don’t be afraid to let the wolf take over. The wolf is much stronger than your human body.”

“Yeah, I know, go for their throats.” Clint nodded, marking down the price of each item Bucky put in the cart so he could make sure they stayed in budget.

“Always go for Hydra throats,” Bucky said with a sigh. “Anyways, is there anything special you want to get? Like a TV dinner or something like that? Just so we have something a little more exciting than sandwiches and fruit to eat.”

“Bagel bites. Freezer section. Tiny little pizzas that can be nuked in the microwave. They’re better in an oven of course but they have the microwave option which is our only way to cook things in our motel room.” Clint said immediately.

“Okay, bagel bites. Anything else? I think I saw some pot pies, so I want to get some of those.”

“Oh, yeah, those are super affordable, too.” Clint nodded, “We just need to make sure we don’t get too much for our mini fridge to hold. So we need some options of food that can be left on the table.” Clint said, thinking of some affordable options that they could go for. “Canned veggies would work.”

"Canned soup as well," Bucky added. "Canned anything, really."

“We should get some microwavable bowls to heat things up in.”

They weaved their way up and down the isles, grabbing what they needed and keeping an eye on the total price so as to not go over budget The more they stuck to their budget, the more they could tuck away into the hearing aid funds when they got back to their room.

Soon their cart was filled with as much food as they could afford, so the last place they had to go shopping was the pet store. Luckily there was a local pet store in the small town, so they headed there as soon as they dropped off their groceries in their room, making sure the things that needed to be refrigerated were placed in their small minifridge that came with the room. 

Just before they got to the pet store, the two headed to a place that would hide them, so Clint was able to shift after shedding his clothes. It was easier if they could get a good measurement for a collar with a live model, so Clint was the guinea pig of their little mission to obtain collars. They would just need to get a collar that was a bit bigger for Bucky. Thankfully, when they finally entered the store, Clint in his wolf form and sticking right next to Bucky’s side, there was a whole panel against a wall filled with collars of all sizes and colors, so they knew exactly where to go in the little store.

Clint sat down when they got to the display, panting happily and wagging his tail to further his ‘good boy’ act as Bucky looked over the selection of collars.

"Okay, you like purple, so let's find you a purple collar to wear…" Bucky looked through several purple collars until he found one that he thought would fit Clint. He knelt to the ground and clipped the collar around the wolf's neck. It looked like it fit, but he wanted Clint's opinion.

"How does that feel? Too tight, too loose, bad material?"

Clint stood up and shook, moving to test out the collar, the clip tugged at his fur in a very unpleasant way and so he let out a small woof of rejection. They had agreed that a yes would be a slobbery ‘dog’ kiss to the hand. Since they couldn’t seem to understand wolf when in human form, at least as easily as they seemed to when they were both wolves.

"Okay, so not large." Bucky grabbed the same collar in a larger size, replacing the old with the new. “How’s this one?”

Clint started the same test when a woman with an employee nametag walked up to them with a smile. “Need help, sir? Finding the right size can be tricky.”

“I think I’ve got about the right size,” Bucky started as he stood and smiled at the woman. “But I suppose a little professional help wouldn’t be opposed.”

She nodded and knelt down next to Clint. “Hey there, cutie.” she held out her hand for him to sniff, and amused, Clint obliged. “What’s their name?” she asked, glancing at Bucky.

“Uh, Pizza. His name is Pizza.” Bucky cringed as he looked away so the woman couldn’t see his expression.

Clint was unable to hold back a bark of laughter at his ‘name’, but the employee took his reaction to simply be that of a dog acknowledging that his fur-parent had said his name.

“Interesting name you have there, Pizza. What’d you do, steal your human’s pizza soon after he adopted you, you silly thing?” She pet his ears before moving to check the collar’s fit around his neck.

"He loves pizza," Bucky went on. "His full name is Deepdish Pizza Pie. We share pizza a lot."

“I hope not a lot-a lot. Pizza isn't good for a dog’s diet.”

"Well, whenever I order a pizza, I give him a small slice. He just has normal dog food otherwise."

She nodded, “As long as it doesn’t upset his tummy. It does for some dogs.” she said, kissing Clint’s nose before removing the collar and looking at it before turning to the display, “Are you looking for a purple collar for Pizza specifically or just one that fits him? Pizza has thick, long fur and this type of clasp tend to catch and tug at long fur, so I’d suggest one with this kind of clasp.” she said, grabbing a blue collar just to show.

"He's had a purple collar since I've had him. He's just outgrown his last one, so I figured it was time to get a new one."

“Alright, let’s try...this one.” She pulled out a collar that was somewhat buried behind others, a rich purple color and the type of clasp she had suggested. She knelt down next to Clint and slipped it on him, checking the size and nodding, “This one fits him properly.”

Clint shook, finding it comfortable before moving to lick at Bucky’s fingers.

"I think he likes it," Bucky said, moving his hand to scratch one of Clint's ears. "I wanna get another for when he romps around in the trees. Just a little bigger so he doesn't get caught on anything and he can escape easily."

“Well, I’m not seeing anything large enough for that in purple.” she nodded, shifting through collars, “Is there a second color Pizza looks good in according to his handsome human dad?”

"I'd say blue or red, but maybe he should pick out the second collar. Blue in your left hand and red in your right?"

Clint tilted his head, amused and curious. Bucky was letting him choose the color of Bucky’s collar?

The employee shrugged, “Well, dogs are color blind so I think his choice would remain up to scent. Which leather dye smells the most interesting. Let's find a good size first.” She tried a few collar sizes on Clint, testing their looseness for a way that would allow him to get it off if he really needed to, without it being so big that it’d fall off for no reason. Once she determined the size, she picked out one in blue, and one in red, holding them both out for Clint to sniff at. Clint went right for the blue. The collar would bring out Bucky’s eyes, he was sure.

"Looks like the blue one appeals to him," Bucky said, pleased with the color choice Clint had made. "We’ll just take the two collars then. Oh also a leash."

“Purple again?” She asked with a smile, leading him the short distance to the leashes “Basic leash or extendable?”

“Yes, purple, and just basic will be fine. He doesn’t wander too far from me on walks, but I figure keeping him on a leash will keep us out of trouble.”

“Yes, it would.” She picked up a purple leash and held it out to him, “How’s this one?”

Bucky took the leash and looked over it. “It looks good to me. It won’t wear out for a while anyways, since Pizza doesn’t pull on leashes.”

Clint huffed and pushed himself between Bucky’s legs, just to be annoying.

“Is there anything else I could help you with?”

Bucky grunted, scratching behind Clint’s ears. “No, I think that’s all we needed today.”

She nodded and handed him the two collars. “Happy to help. And you, it was nice to meet such a good boy.” she pet Clint fondly, “Don’t go stealing too much of your daddy’s pizza, alright, Pizza?”

Clint gave an amused woof as she stood back up and moved to see if any other customers needed help.

Once she was gone, Bucky let out a sigh, looking down at Clint. "Hopefully my collar fits, " he said in a low voice as they headed to the register.

Once they had bought their items, they left the store and headed back to where Clint's clothes were hiding. Before the blond shifted back to human, Bucky removed the collar, then stood back.

“Pizza?” Clint asked in an amused tone as soon as he was human again, grabbing his pants, “You named me Pizza?”

“Sorry, it was the quickest thing I could think of without sounding suspicious.” Bucky ran his hand through his hair with another sigh. 

“Never thought of normal and common dog names like Lucky or Spot?” Clint tossed his shirt and jacket on quickly before shoving his feet into his socks and boots. “What’s the leash for,  _ Daddy _ ?”

“It was for the cover story!” Bucky exclaimed, his face turning red.

Clint laughed and straightened up, “So you're not thinking of kinky pet play?”

“Well, I wasn’t until you mentioned it!”

Clint cackled, linking their arms together, “But you are now?”

“Yeah… Just a little bit. We should get to our room. Not so we can do pet play…”

“And if I call you ‘Daddy’ again?” Clint asked.

Bucky let out a noise that was something like a needy whine. He shifted uncomfortably. "You're making it extremely hard to hold back on doing anything physical…"

“Like that, hu?” Clint grinned and slipped down onto his knees, “I can give you a little something to keep little Bucky satisfied for a while.”

"God…" Bucky leaned back against the wall of the building, glad that there were evergreen bushes there to hide them. "I used to do this shit all the time, now I'm blushing like a school girl."

“Is that a yes?” Clint asked, just to confirm he had consent to proceed.

"Yes," the brunet breathed out.

Clint nodded and smiled before opening Bucky’s fly and pulling his already hard member out. It was cold out, and so not wanting that hardness to shrink away, Clint was quick to draw him into his mouth to keep him warm, using his tongue to further excite him.

Bucky sucked in a breath through his teeth, his hands going to Clint's head as he let that same breath out with a quiet groan. His breath puffed from his mouth in little clouds, and he had to remind himself to keep quiet as the blond worked him further into his arousal. It was a shame Clint couldn't hear him, because Bucky was whispering curse after curse as he struggled to keep himself together. Seventy years without any sort of sexual act and there he was leaning against that brick wall with his face bright red and hands shaking as he grabbed blond hair.

Once Bucky was clearly at full hardness, Clint began to bob his head, dragging his lips along the thick shaft and back as he moved his tongue around it with a low moan. The former circus performer clearly had experience.

"Oh fuck…" the brunet hissed out. He wanted to just let his guard down and let whatever happened happen. But he was trained better than that, even just in the army.

Bucky eyes widened as he suddenly remembered that he was in the army once. An inconvenient time to remember, but he remembered nonetheless, and he made a noise that was a little louder than the others that he was worried someone would hear. It was pretty damn cold out though, and he doubted that there was actually anyone out walking around.

Clint continued on, letting his lips and tongue worship Bucky’s cock to bring him closer and closer to the edge, blissfully unaware of any sounds Bucky might be making too loudly. Glancing up through his eyelashes, he paused, seeing a look on his face that seemed to lead more towards confused or unsettled than simple pleasure. He pulled back, “Bucky?”

Looking down at Clint, Bucky’s expression turned normal. “What? Something wrong? Did I do something you didn’t like?”

“I should be asking you that. You looked...unsettled or something…”

“Oh, well I mean I just remembered I was in the army once, but that’s hardly important right now.”

“Army blow-job flashbacks? Should I stop or—continue, or...what?”

“Dear god, please don’t stop.”

“Yes, alpha.” Clint hummed, right before slipping his lips back over Bucky’s dick to finish what he started.

Bucky groaned at Clint’s comment, letting his head fall back to the wall as the blond continued. His legs were shaking a bit the longer Clint went on, and it had been quite a while since he had done something like receive a blowjob, so he honestly had to admit that before Clint had stopped, he had been pretty close to a climax already. As soon as Clint had started up again, Bucky was suddenly shot back to that very thin line of being nearly at his limit, his breaths coming out quicker and shallower.

Clint hummed again, sending vibrations into his task as he sped up his movements, taking Bucky all the way to the base a few times.

It only took a few more bobs of Clint’s head for Bucky to tense up and give the blond very brief warning of his coming climax, tapping Clint’s shoulders rapidly just before his eyes shut and he came with a stifled groan.

Clint’s lips quirked upwards at the corners and he continued, not caring if his boyfriend came in his mouth. However, after only two more passes up and down his shaft, Clint’s lips pressed against something that was suddenly thicker, and seemed to be growing. He pulled back off, replacing his mouth with his hand to complete, simply out of a confused curiosity as he found the base of Bucky’s cock swelling up like a bulb of sorts. 

And he really should have been freaking out, but Clint’s inner wolf helpfully supplied him with two words; ‘normal’ and ‘knot’. The wolf seemed pleased with it and while it didn’t step forward to take over, it did give Clint the urge to take his other hand and squeeze the apparent knot as he stroked.

Something that didn’t seem quite normal to Bucky was the fact that he just kept coming as Clint stroked him. That certainly wasn’t something he remembered him being able to do in his past, but his own wolf helpfully told him this was normal now, so he went with it, simply enjoying the feel of Clint’s hand on his cock and knot that his wolf, once again, told him was normal now. Letting out a weak groan, Bucky leaned heavily against the wall and caught his breath.

“Fuck, I’ve never seen a guy cum that much.” Clint said after a moment of silence stretched on between them. He tucked Bucky back away in his pants and stood up, the seat of his pants clinging to his skin since they hadn’t bothered with buying underwear. It wasn’t like anyone would ever know they were both going commando, and their money was best spent on other things. He groaned, picking at his jeans. They were wet to the touch, probably melted snow from his boots. A hazard of sitting on his heels to give a blowjob during the winter, he supposed. It was his fault, but that wasn’t going to stop him from grumbling about it when walking back to the motel with his ass freezing.

“I’ve never cum that much,” Bucky responded, pushing away from the wall and zipping up his pants. “God I’m exhausted after that. Good thing it’s the weekend now, I need some sleep.”

“Did you know you have a knot? Because that was a surprise I'm glad didn’t catch in my mouth.”

"I didn't really know before today… I mean I guess my wolf knew, but I didn't." 

“My wolf is the only reason I didn’t freak out when I discovered it.” Clint admitted, making sure they had everything before stepping out into the open and started back towards the motel, “My wolf also is the reason I squeezed it, so I hope that felt good…”

"Everything you just did to me was the best thing that's happened to me in years. It felt amazing."

Clint grinned, “Your pleasure is my pleasure, sexy.”

Bucky rolled his eyes with a smile, readjusting his coat. "Come on, let's get back to our room before we freeze out here."

“Yeah, my ass has melted snow on it, not fun.”

"You can take the shower first then. I wanted to see if my collar fits anyways."

“We’ll test it, and if it doesn’t fit, we’ll return it and try again.” Clint shrugged, “We don’t need the collars until we’re on the move again, anyway.”

"Or if we decide to use them for other than their intended purpose," Bucky said with a bit of snark to his voice. "Since that's what seemed to be in your mind about them."

“I was just teasing you. Actually, asking about the leash was pure curiosity on my part and the ‘Daddy’ was added on to tease you.”

"It was just something to make our cover story believable. We can ditch the leash at some point when we don't need it."

“Eh, might come in handy if we need to travel through an area where it might be better to be a human and his dog.”

"Okay, we'll keep the leash then. We aren't going anywhere for awhile, though, unless Hydra sniffs us out and chases us away."

“Yeah, it’d be annoying having to find jobs again. I’d like it if we could get what we need all at once. Simpler.”

Bucky nodded. "We just have to hope that Hydra doesn't find us."

“And hope they look in the opposite direction that we came.”

“I hope they don’t look further north. I have no idea how far we ran, but I hope we’re as far away from them as we possibly can be right now.”

“We won’t stay too long. Only as long as we need so that the rest of our travels will be smoother.”

"That might be a good few months from now before we're able to travel again. Especially if our paychecks end up like they did today."

"As long as we stick to our budget for food, we should be fine." Clint shrugged, shifting uncomfortably in his jeans. "Damn, wet jeans are so uncomfortable."

"Well, I think we could put the collar and leash to good use if you can't stand to wear them all the way back to the motel." Bucky smirked.

"It would be warmer…" Clint looked around and spotting a private area, he nodded, "Let's do it." He hurried over into a grove of bushes and started stripping so he could shift, handing Bucky his clothes to put in their bag from the pet store, though his coat was too bulky and needed to be carried separately. Once he was shifted, he stepped out and looked up at Bucky.

Bucky knelt down and put on Clint’s collar, clipping the leash to it before picking up the bags and coat. “Don’t ask me to take you on walks because of this,” he muttered.

Clint let out a little woof as he nudged his head into Bucky's leg before trotting on ahead, just enough to keep the leash slack. 

Soon the two were back at the motel, Bucky leading Clint up after making sure the very clear dog on a leash wasn’t spotted heading up to one of the rooms. Bucky made sure to unhook the leash before letting Clint trot in, and once they were both inside, the door was locked behind them. Wet and cold clothes were put into the pile that was slowly building up. Washing clothes was something they definitely needed to do at some point, but they didn’t really have any change to use at a laundromat before they had spent their paychecks.

Clint shifted back human and turned to smirked at Bucky, "I'll grab my shower, you want to join in, or figure out food?"

“Um…” Bucky glanced between the food and Clint, chewing on his lip. Hell, the blond just gave him a blowjob, and they’ve seen each other naked before. Besides, they could save some water by showering together. Bucky was sure water usage was in part of their bill for the room. 

“I think food can wait just a bit,” the brunet eventually said while stripping his clothes.

"I'll get the water heating. Don't keep me waiting." He said, walking into the bathroom and turning on the water. Once it was warm, he stepped inside and let the water soak his hair and warm him up.

Bucky took a minute or so to mentally prepare himself. There wasn’t a promise of anything happening in the shower, but his damned wolf was just too excited by the idea of sharing a shower that Bucky found it hard to focus on anything but the fact that he was getting a shower to clean up and nothing more. Eventually he entered the bathroom and got into the shower behind Clint, waiting to be let under the water.

Clint jumped a little when he turned and spotted him, "Hey sexy, come here often?"

"Only as often as my boyfriend invites me," the brunet responded with a smirk.

"Well your boyfriend would always invite you."

"That's good to know." Bucky kissed Clint's forehead with a smile. "Sorry if I scared you when I got in."

"Didn't sense you getting in. I thought I'd see your shadow or develop spidey senses all of a sudden. Something."

“Guess I should have stomped my feet or something.”

"Or tap my shoulder." Clint shrugged. 

“I’ll make sure to do one of those next time.” Bucky sighed as the two of them shifted around so he could get under the water and wet down his hair.

Clint grabbed the washcloth and lathered it up with soap , scrubbing himself down as he waited for the water flow again. When he got to his legs, he lifted one and rested his foot on Bucky's hip.

A small grunt came from Bucky’s throat, but he ignored what Clint was doing for the most part. Again, it was simply just a shower, nothing more. Not that Bucky wouldn’t be up for doing more. His wolf sure was up for more, but he had more control than that. It wasn’t like he was a puppy all over again.

Although, with his hormones flying around thanks to his wolf, he certainly felt like a puppy again.

Clint repeated the action with his other leg, then scrubbed his face, "Switch?"

“Sure.” Once again they switched around in the shower, Bucky taking his own turn with washing up with the soap and a little shampoo. When it came to his own legs, Bucky simply lifted one and leaned against the wall of the shower to clean, being careful not to slip on the wall and fall forward into Clint.

Clint rinsed off and grabbed a dollop of shampoo to run through his hair before working on rinsing it back out. 

Once he was soap-free, he switched with Bucky again, watching the older man rinse off before he stepped forward to press up against him, coaxing him into a kiss.

Sweeping a hand back over his wet hair, Bucky leaned down and accepted the kiss, his other hand moving to wrap around Clint’s waist.

Clint smiled and hummed into the kiss, his hands resting on Bucky's arms.

"You know," the taller man started after pulling away from the kiss. "This is the first time in a while that my wolf really wants to take over."

"Sorry, we don't have any lube, wolf-Bucky would have to be satisfied with hand or mouth stuff."

“I guess that’s on our next shopping list then. Just in case.” Bucky shook his head. “My point is… I think I wouldn’t mind doing some more intimate stuff.”

"Liked the sample earlier?"

“Yeah. It did feel pretty good, if I’m being honest. It’s just been a long time since I was able to express any of my own emotions without being punished for it. I’m kinda learning as I go.”

"Bucky, you are free to be as open as you want about your feelings, and your feelings for your hot as fuck boyfriend."

“I know. I have to keep remebering that for some reason being gay wasn’t as accepted in the past as it is now, and I’m free to act how I am, and blah blah blah, I’m kinda ruining the mood here by talking about my past.” With a smile, Bucky wrapped his arms around Clint’s torso and pulled him in close until they were touching.

"I don't mind, I like knowing that you can finally be yourself. Fully. Even more than before Hydra."

“I like knowing I can be myself as well,” Bucky said with a chuckle. He was a little saddened that Clint couldn’t hear it.

The blond smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. "Let's move to kissing on the bed."

“I think that’s a good idea,” Bucky said, reaching to turn off the water before exiting the shower. He didn’t bother wrapping himself up in a towel after he had dried himself off.

Once dry, and his towel hanging, Clint moved out of the bathroom and hopped into the bed, stretching out across it like a smiling starfish. "Naked kissing, right?"

“It was pretty nice in the shower,” the brunet said as he slid onto the bed. “Should be even better on the bed.”

"Probably. I mean, you get all this to press up against and lucky, lucky me gets all that. Wow, I'm so lucky." Clint purred with a wiggle as he gazed up and down Bucky's body.

“Careful, or you might get too excited and not wait for the lube.” Smirking, Bucky leaned in and kissed Clint.

"Have you ever tried taking a dick without lube? It kills the mood very fast. I like catching but only with the right equipment." Clint shifted and chewed his lip a moment, "I assume you like being the pitcher, right?"

“Hydra literally dubbed me an alpha, I don’t think I can play the catcher without my wolf getting upset.”

"Then your wolf is lucky that I've always preferred catching and am fine with letting him pitch. I'm not sure about my wolf, though. He hasn't expressed much interest yet."

“You’re still in the puppy phase, then. It’ll wear soon, then you get to the horny teenage wolf stage,” Bucky teased.

"Oh, lucky you. If it's anything like my human teenager years, well, let's just say that this time it won't be my hand getting all the action."

“I don’t remember much when I was going through that phase myself, but I do remember being the horniest little shit in the entire Hydra hideout. Wasn’t fun, they didn’t give me anything or anyone to help me. I wined a lot.”

"Heathens. We'll have to make it up to your wolf. Now, are you going to join me in the bed, or am I going to have to tackle you?"

“You act like a puppy sometimes.” Bucky chuckled as he slid up on the bed, initiating a kiss.

"Can't tell if it's my wolf or just me." Clint chuckled against his lips. He slipped his arms around Bucky's hips and pulled him closer. 

“I don’t know how you behaved before, but I’m gonna blame it on the wolf.”

Clint hummed and kissed down Bucky's jaw to his neck, pausing when his now familiar scent caught his attention. It was the same, of course it was, but there was also something  _ more _ that he hadn't noticed before. Something that had his wolf's attention completely all of a sudden, and it was not letting Clint pull away from the scent. It felt like even his wolf that ran on instinct was exploring it to understand. 

“Clint?” Bucky turned his head to look at the blond, noticing how still and attentive he had gotten suddenly. He poked Clint’s shoulder to get his attention, because even just turning his head didn’t seem to snap Clint out of the little trance he had gotten himself into.

Clint didn't move other than to press his nose in closer to Bucky's neck, his wolf refusing to pull away from the scent that had enticed it.

Very clearly being able to feel Clint’s breath on his neck, Bucky sniffed curiously at the other’s neck, and it was a familiar scent that his own wolf had been drawn to when they first met. A sigh left Bucky’s mouth as he found himself relaxing scent of mate.

Clint let out a whimper and pressed closer yet, gripping at Bucky's arms tightly before he suddenly surprised himself by nipping the spot on his neck, firmer than any normal playful nip during an intimate time.

Bucky let out a yelp, jerking back in an attempt to pull away from the bite, but Clint stayed, and his bite was locked on. He had to admit, it freaked him out just a bit, but at the same time, it felt right, like the bite was somehow supposed to happen. His own whimper was let out as the seconds ticked by, the two in a position that just wasn’t comfortable, but they remained so as to not disturb the bite in any way.

Slowly, Clint realized what he was doing as his wolf seemed to step back a little and he released, nosing at the spot on his neck in silent apology before he finally pulled back away from Bucky trying to make himself look smaller as he met Bucky's eyes.

Bucky tilted his head, blinking at Clint. The spot on his neck felt tingly, but it wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, it just turned him on more than he already was after taking the shower with Clint, but Bucky wasn’t about to acknowledge that given his situation at that moment. Swallowing, he spoke. “So… that happened. I think your wolf discovered my scent for the first time.”

"It's the same scent as before...just...more." Clint bit his lip and let his eyes flicker over to the little red mark on Bucky's neck. It looked more like a hickey than anything else but it was there, standing out against pale skin. "My wolf became obsessed with it…"

“Did it smell like mate to you this time?”

Clint repeated the word, turning it over in his mind. Yes...that seemed to fit the  _ more _ in Bucky's scent. He nodded, "That feels like the right word for it. My wolf still seems a little confused by it still, but that seems right."

“You’re definitely beginning to leave the puppy stage then,” Bucky said, sitting up more and coaxing Clint closer once more. “Come here, I wanna cuddle, but I kinda want to do it as wolves.”

Clint nodded and obeyed, crawling over to tuck himself into Bucky's arms and kiss his shoulder before he shifted to his wolf form for the third time that day.

Satisfied that Clint also wanted to cuddle as wolves, Bucky shifted and circled around the bed a couple times before flopping down with a huff, moving his head over to nuzzle into Clint’s neck.

Clint wiggled himself over as close as he could get to his companion before getting comfortable and resting his head on Bucky's front legs. 

Once they were settled into comfortable positions, Bucky yawned and let his eyes close, glad for the weekend and the opportunity to simply be a lazy wolf for a bit without a care in the world.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Clint grinned as he swept a pile of fallen leaves and dirt into a dustpan to take it over to the bin in the back room of the flower shop. He eyed some of the flowers as he passed them, wondering if he should get some when his shift was up.

Whistling a little tune, Summer carried a couple of bags filled with fertilizer, intending to take them to the storage room. She noticed the look on Clint's face as she passed. She quickly took the bags to the back, then practically skipped over to Clint with a huge smile on her face once they were in the same room.

"Hey, daydreamer. You look like you're thinking pretty hard about getting some flowers." she said once she got his attention.

Clint flushed and licked his lips, "Date night with the boyfriend." He admitted. 

"How exciting! Does he have a favorite flower?"

"I don't know." He admitted, "We haven't really talked about that kind of thing. But he says that I come home smelling like flowers and it's nice because he usually smells like a greasy garage after work."

“Well then, if he doesn’t have a favorite flower that you know of, maybe we can come up with something that reflects his personality or your relationship. Or his favorite color even.”

"He likes blue and red. But blue brings out his eyes. And of course you know my color." Clint shrugged as he brushed out a non-existent wrinkle in his purple apron which had lacy flowers around the trim and tie.

“Let’s make something with both your favorite colors then. That’ll definitely represent your relationship.”

"Nothing too expensive. We're trying to save our extra money for a new pair of hearing aids for me." He requested. 

“Oh don’t worry about paying. You work here, it’s fine.” Summer smiled as she went over to the stock of vases they had. “Come pick out a vase. You know your boyfriend better than I do, so you know what he’ll like.”

"The one with a wolf and moon pattern. We have a thing for wolves." Clint smiled. It was a small and plastic vase so they would be able to take it with them when they left without worrying about it shattering. 

“Around here it seems like everyone likes wolves. Animal control has gotten a few calls recently that there may be one or two hanging around the outskirts of town. It’s pretty common around here.”

"Animal control won't hurt them, right? I haven't heard of any wolves causing problems."

“No, they leave the wolves be. They haven’t caused problems around here yet, so as long as they stay away from pets and livestock, animal control won’t do anything.”

"Good. Poor things are probably just trying to enjoy life and get out of the den a bit. No need to bother them or hurt them."

“I agree. We leave them alone, they leave us alone. That’s just how it should work.” Summer picked up a list that named off all the flowers she had available to find some purple and blue ones. “Okay, so you know that I’m limited with what I have right now, but I think I should have enough variety to make a nice arrangement.”

"Thank you, let me know if you need me to do something. Otherwise I will continue with my normal tasks before my shift ends."

“You just keep working. I’ll take the front desk if anyone comes in, but I’ll be back here working otherwise. Oh also, if I get done before your shift is over, I’ll send you home early with the flowers so you can get all spiffed up for your man.”

“He wanted to pick me up today, actually. Wanted to see how cute I look in my apron surrounded by flowers. So you’ll probably get to see how handsome he is.”

“Oh, surprise visit! I love it, I can’t wait to meet him! “ Summer bounced on her heels as she marked on her list what flowers she wanted to use.

“You’ll love him. He’s such a sweetie.” Clint laughed, putting the broom away before moving on to his next task.

For the rest of Clint's work shift, Summer worked on making the bouquet, picking out specific blue and purple flowers that she had available and adding some greens to fill in the empty spaces. The end result was a bouquet that couldn't have been more perfect for Clint and Bucky. Summer made sure to get Clint's approval before Bucky arrived at the shop to pick up the blond.

Finally it was the end of Clint's shift, and Summer was helping him clean up his work areas when the little bell in the front door jingled. Bucky stepped in from the cold brushing off some snowflakes that had come to a rest on his coat.

“Welcome to the Flower Field, sexy.” Clint grinned when he spotted his boyfriend, “I’m just finishing up.”

"Great," the taller man replied with a smile. "You were right, you look super cute in that apron."

“As if you doubted me. This is my boss, Summer. Summer, my boyfriend Bucky.” Clint introduced.

"Well hello there, tall, dark, and handsome," Summer greeted as she approached Bucky. "Clint told me you were good looking but I didn't expect anything like you."

"I thought he would have played me up like some super model," Bucky responded, chuckling.

“Nah, that’d be me. Lucky you.” Clint said, striking a pose.

"You're far better looking than me," Bucky agreed.

Summer laughed. "I think you both look amazing and you're the most perfect couple I think I've ever seen in my life."

“Gosh, I hope so.” Clint smiled before finishing up his last task of the day and heading to the back, “I’ll be right out, Bucky.”

He slipped his apron off and hung it up on the peg his coat had been on all day, and slipped into it instead, then he carefully picked up the flower arrangement and tucked it in the crook of his arm before walking back to the front of the shop.

As Clint was coming up to the front of the store, Summer glanced at the flowers before smiling. "Heard you two had a date tonight, and Clint was daydreaming over some flowers today, so I made up a bouquet for you two. Don't worry about paying, I already told Clint it was on the house."

"They're lovely," Bucky said, bending down to sniff the flowers once Clint was next to him.

“I picked out the vase. Pretty much the only thing I did.” Clint grinned, “It’ll spruce up our motel room a bit.”

“I think it’s the best vase you could have picked.” Bucky smiled as he stood upright then placed a kiss on Clint’s cheek.

“I think so too.” Clint smiled and waved at Summer, “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, have fun tonight!” Summer waved energetically at Clint as he and Bucky left the store.

Bucky pulled Clint close as they walked back to the motel, snow crunching beneath their feet as they went. “How was work?” he asked once he caught the blond’s attention.

“Slow, but good.” Clint shrugged, “Summer says that things will pick up as the holidays get closer and she starts getting in the popular winter plants. How about you?”

“Not too bad. Also slow, but I managed to go pick up a few things for us on my lunch break.”

“For our date?” Clint asked, “Or stuff we need?”

“Date, after the date, whenever we need.” Bucky shrugged with a smile.

“Oh— _ohh…_ ” Clint felt himself blush as he realized just what Bucky had picked up. They had given each other hand jobs and blow jobs a few times since their first step into a more physical relationship, but they still hadn’t gone all the way yet, and even Clint’s wolf was starting to make _his_ feelings on the subject known. Not as strongly as Bucky’s, of course, when Bucky’s wolf got too excited, they would have to stop and try cuddling instead, but Clint’s was fine with any amount of physical touching, even if it was just holding hands.

“Not saying we have to use it tonight,” the taller man explained as they walked. “But I thought it’d be nice to have it when we need it.”

“I know, it’s just nice to know that we don't have to abort mission ‘feel good’ if your wolf gets too excited. It keeps happening.”

“The wolf really knows what it wants, unfortunately. But at least next time I won’t have to hold it back. Unless, of course, you’re not in the mood for it. I won’t force you.”

“Bucky, if I ever tell you ‘no’, then it’s not because I don’t _want_ to. I always want to. I mean, have you _seen_ you? I’m always in the mood for you. Nah, if I say no, then it’s due to outside reasons. We don’t have time, or there’s too many people around, or one of us are sick and needs rest.”

“Okay, well… just don’t hesitate to tell me no. I won’t force myself on you for any reason.”

“Trust me. No one can make me do something I don’t want to do. I had enough of that shit as a kid, and I promised myself never again. The foster families I was bounced around weren’t able to make me separate from my brother when they deemed him too old to have a chance at being adopted out with me, the circus weren’t able to make me do illegal shit for them, and I damn well would have fought tooth and nail against Hydra if they tried to force me to do shit for them. I don’t go down without a fight, and that would include a fight against anyone who would try to force themselves on me, boyfriend or not.”

Bucky smiled. “Good. I’d want you to fight against me if I ever forced myself on you. It’s not right of me to do that.”

“Plus only low-lives do that sort of thing. Don’t be a low-life.” Clint bumped their shoulders together before moving to unlock their room door, “Did we decide on where we’re going for our date? Cuz I still say the local bar would be good. Shoot some pool, throw some darts, knock back a drink or two, eat some bar food, it’ll be great.”

“Bar sounds good to me. I could go for a drink and some pool.”

“Great.” Clint set the flowers down on the table and paused, “I’ll just get cleaned up a bit and then we can head out.” he said before going into the bathroom.

“Take your time, we’re in no rush tonight. Unless you want me to join you again.”

Not hearing Bucky, Clint hurried to wash his face, comb his hair, and change into some clean, nicer looking clothes, then he stepped out, pulling his coat back on. “Alright, I’m ready. Lets go intimidate you with my skills.”

Bucky smirked. “Intimidate me? You must have forgotten that we escaped a Hydra facility. Hardly anything intimidates me.”

“You haven't seen me shooting a bow, pool, or throwing darts. I never miss my mark.”

“It’s rare that I miss targets as well. Maybe we need to have a darts competition.”

“I won’t go easy on you, just because you’re hot and smell like alpha and mate, you know.” Clint grinned.

“Not willing to let me win to impress you?” Bucky chuckled as he headed out of the room.

“If you win for real, it’d impress me more than if I let you win. Hell, if your skills are even close to mine, it’d impress me enough to give me a boner.”

“Alright, challenge accepted, then. I prove I’m as good as you and we get to have some fun.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” Clint said as they locked their room back up and started towards the bar which was only a block and a half away from the motel.

"Just don't get upset at me if I beat you at darts," the brunet casually said while pulling Clint close, warming up the both of them quicker.

“Confident, I see.” Clint hummed, “Well, we’ll see if your pride is validated or taken down a notch.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Bucky teased.

“ ‘ _Do or do not, there is no try_ ’.” Clint quoted in his best impersonation of Yoda.

“I have no idea what that voice was, but good life advice, I suppose.”

“Seriously? Hydra never even let you watch classic movies? Star Wars, man! Everyone should get to watch Star Wars! Even Barney and I got to watch it on VHS when being bounced around the foster system. That’s it. First thing we watch once we get to settle down in our own place and have a real home, we’re watching the Star Wars movies. I’m sure they’re available on DVD now. First watch-through has to be done right. Big bowl of popcorn, and starting with Episode four, five, and six before jumping back to one, two, and three because Spoilers.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, but he smiled. “Seems like a complicated way to watch a bunch of movies.”

“It’s the order they were made. You got the originals, and then you have the prequels. Thing is, if you’re new and watch it in written order, then you don’t get to experience the emotional roller coaster of finding out the truth of some things in the original three movies.” Clint shrugged.

“I guess I’ll trust your judgement on this,” the brunet said. “I don’t have a good concept of modern media anymore.”

“To be honest, neither do I. Traveling with a circus tends to isolate you from things like that, but I do know the classics and what was popular when I was a kid. Once I joined the circus I had too many chores and training sessions to bother keeping up with movies. And it’s not like we had a TV traveling with us. We only really got to watch it if we went to some diner or something that would have a TV set up in the corner.”

“I never had a TV around to watch. Didn’t know they were so common until recently… I don’t know how recently ‘recent’ is…”

“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy how,” Clint waved his hand around in the air, “ _everywhere_ TV’s are these days. As a kid most households had one, maybe two if lucky or rich, but now there are houses that have one in nearly every room. How are kids supposed to get crazy ideas like running away to join a circus when all they do is sit and watch TV? Kids need crazy stupid ideas. Builds character.” Clint joked.

“Such a crazy idea, running away with the circus,” Bucky said with a chuckle. “Crazy ideas in my day were like playing baseball in the busy streets and running out of the way of cars.”

“Hey, Barney and I were orphans, tired of being bounced around foster homes until they decided to separate us and send us to separate orphanages. We just wanted to stick together, so Circus it was. It was a good idea...until recently. But then again...if it hadn’t ended the way it did, then I wouldn’t have met you. I’m not saying I’d want to do all that Hydra stuff again, but I can’t imagine not being with you.”

“Such a romantic. I don’t want to do all the Hydra stuff again either, but I wouldn’t have had as good a chance to escape if you hadn’t come along.”

“The couple that escapes Hydra together, stays together.” Clint laughed as they turned into the doorway to the bar and he held it open for Bucky.

The bar had warm, low lighting and was filled with music that was nearly too loud to have a conversation without shouting as loud as one could. It was busy, but it was perfect to blend into if Hydra happened to be lurking around. Bucky smiled as he took in the heavy scent of alcohol, which he knew he had to expect, but he never thought he’d be happy to smell it after so many years away from it. In the back of his mind, he almost wished there was an actual dance floor to sway to some music on.

“Good thing you just need to read my lips to carry a conversation right now,” Bucky said as they found some seats to settle into.

“It is loud.” Clint agreed with a nod. “I mean, I can tell because I can hear a buzzing sound, and that means I’m in a loud place. Uh. If I’m not talking loud enough for you, let me know.” he said, removing his coat and hanging it on the back of his chair before sitting down.

Bucky nodded as he too sat down. “As long as we stay away from the speakers, I think I’ll be able to hear you fine.”

“Right. Speakers...sound makers. I forget about things like that sometimes.” Clint admitted, glancing around the place before focusing back on his boyfriend.

“That’s okay, you don’t use them much anyways.” Bucky smiled and reached over to grab Clint’s hand. “This might be a dumb question, or insensitive, I’m not sure, but since it’s loud in here, can you feel vibrations in the floor from the music?”

“Sometimes I can if I’m close enough to the source. But music isn’t something I’ve ever gotten to just enjoy. Working on my routine at the circus was always to the same old circus tunes, and it got to the point where I’d take out my aids for practice and for performances. Couldn’t use headphones while doing chores because my aids wouldn’t play nice with them. It’s a shame because I had enjoyed music before my hearing was damaged.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how exactly did you damage your hearing?”

Clint hesitated before looking down at his hands in his lap, fiddling; pretending to dig potting soil out from under his fingernail, though he’d gotten them completely clean when he was washing up for the date. 

“I dropped a glass.” he finally said, pausing to lick his lips and glance up at the confused frown that ghosted over Bucky’s lips, “My dad had sent me to the kitchen to refill it with a fresh beer and on my way back to the living room, I slipped—my mom had been mopping—and I dropped the glass in my attempt to catch myself. It shattered. Glass shards and beer everywhere. And then my dad was there, standing over me...he always hit hard, but that time...he hit the table with my head. The table broke—as did my hearing. And he hit me more for breaking the table.”

Bucky sat in stunned silence, his wolf caught in a confusing mix of sadness for how Clint had lost his hearing, and anger towards Clint's father for causing the damage to happen. He ended up letting out a whine that thankfully couldn't be heard over the music, and he squeezed Clint's hand.

"Clint, that's… god, that's awful. It wasn't even your fault, your dad…" Bucky shook his head.

“Was an abusive asshole drunken bastard.” Clint nodded, “Barney and I were glad when he wrapped himself around a tree...but he took mom with him and...Mom...Mom deserved so much better… She deserved someone who would put smiles on her face, not bruises.”

Bucky shoulders sank the more Clint talked. What a horrible parent to grow up around, and to have the other taken away in such a horrible way. Bucky just wanted to curl up with Clint and make him feel better. Talking about it was no doubt very hard.

"She absolutely deserved someone better. You deserved a better father."

“She was too afraid to leave him—Barney and I were not going to leave without her. Family sticks together—and we didn’t count our dad as family. He was just the monster who controlled the house we lived in. But that was all a long time ago. It’s fine, he doesn’t even haunt my dreams nearly as much anymore.” Clint shrugged, pretending that it didn’t still bother him, that the memories didn’t haunt him.

“If you say so. Just don’t try to hide anything away from me if it does haunt you,” Bucky said gently. “You don’t have to go through those emotions alone.”

“You already help by holding me at night when I wake up from nightmares—I, uh, I know I said it was because of Hydra, but...that’s only some of the nightmares. It was just easier to blame Hydra since it’s the most recent thing…”

“I know Hydra is bad, but you weren’t around them long enough to have that many nightmares about them. You hardly saw the worst of it. I knew Hydra wasn’t the main cause of your nightmares, but I didn’t want to pry.”

“Wasn’t convinced that one round of torture injections would be enough for that many nightmares, hu?”

“Not at all. I mean, sure it’s traumatizing. I have no doubts you do have nightmares about Hydra, but there’ve been a few where you’ve said something that sounded closer to experiences you had before Hydra got you.”

“I talked in my sleep?”

“A little. Not much more than a mumble or a whimper, but you’ve made clear sentences before that are a bit concerning.”

“Gosh, that’s embarrassing…”

Bucky sat back a little, pressing his lips together. “Sorry, I guess maybe I shouldn’t have brought that up… But I just wanted you to know that I worry about you.”

“No, I’m glad you told me… My brother never said anything, and who knows who could have heard me at the circus…”

“Like I said, it’s mostly just mumbles or whines, so it’s nothing revealing. At least you only sleep around me now.”

“True, and if I’m shifted it’d just be wolfie sounds humans can’t understand I guess.”

“Exactly, so you’re safe now with your sleep talking.” Bucky offered a smile. “Anyways, I say we get some drinks and food in us. We are supposed to be having a date, after all.”

“Yeah. Talk about nicer things, too.” Clint said, grabbing the food menu that was sitting in a rack on the table between them. Flipping it open, he found the short food menu amongst the pages of drink options—of which he noted that they did have fruity options which was tempting, though more pricey than a simple beer.

He ran his eyes over the food options until he found a dish he’d never tried before. “Hey, hey Bucky, can we try the poutine?” he asked, turning the menu around to show Bucky, pointing to the option that included a few meat options for it.

Looking at the item on the menu, he smiled and nodded. "Looks good to me. Let's get some."

Clint danced in his seat a little before paging through the drink options, “Did we plan a budget for this date?”

"Not really. I'm just gonna have one of the cheap beers, so you can splurge if you want."

“I’ll limit myself to only one nice drink before I do beer. Something fruity because I don’t care if it’s considered girly as long as it tastes good.”

"No shame in a fruity drink. They taste better than beer most of the time."

“Exactly! If you want a sip of my drink, let me know.”

Clint waved over a waitress, flashing a smile at her before placing their order. There was a moment when she eyed the two of them, and Clint’s mind jolted.

ID’s. They didn’t have ID’s. Shit. What even was the legal drinking age in Canada? It wasn’t the same as the States...oh, it was 18, wasn’t it? Neither he nor Bucky looked like they’d be younger than that, but still, if they got carded, they could be in trouble.

But it seemed they looked old enough and the waitress shrugged, jotting down the order and letting them know she’d be back with their drinks shortly.

Saved. Thank whatever deity that might be out there that neither of them had too much of a baby-face.

Clint slumped over the table “Well that was close. We didn’t think about the fact that neither of us have ID’s.”

Bucky sighed. "That was a tense minute. This bar must be pretty carefree when it comes to drinks."

“Or we look older than we thought. Yikes, do I have wrinkles already?”

"Don't worry, you still look pretty," Bucky said with a chuckle. "Good thing we don't have baby faces."

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Clint teased, batting his eyelashes.

"The prettiest. Especially your wolf, though that's probably my own wolf saying that."

“You’re pretty too. Well, your wolf is more—powerful-looking. Intimidating, really. I’d be intimidated if I was a stranger being cornered by your wolf. Kinda hot, not gonna lie.”

"Pretty, hot, and intimidating. Somehow, all three of those things makes my wolf happy." 

Clint smiled and gave a playful growl as the waitress approached and set down their drinks before informing them that their food would be out shortly.

The blond took his daiquiri and sipped it with a hum before plucking the strawberry on the edge of the glass off, taking a bite of it.

While Clint drank, Bucky sipped his own drink, gaze floating around the room to check for any signs of Hydra. Thankfully there weren’t any signs that he could see, so he relaxed his body a little more before his gaze fell back on Clint. A smile spread across his lips as he watched the blond, feeling his wolf get excited just by looking at Clint.

“Having wonderful thoughts?” Clint asked, catching sight of the smile. “Or is it a nice song playing or is it the company?”

“I haven’t been paying any attention to the music,” Bucky admitted while taking another sip of his beer. “Been looking out for Hydra, but a cute blond caught my eye, so I decided I’d take a break from looking around.”

“Oh? Cute blond? Where?” Clint teased, making a show of glancing around the bar. Surprisingly, there was only one other blond, though it was obvious they bleached it and needed a root touch up. She also happened to be working behind the bar, mixing up drinks. “Bartender’s your type, hu? Interesting. I can go see if she’s single for you but your boyfriend might get jealous.”

“Nah, I don’t think she’d like me very much. And I don’t see any other blond in the room except for one, and I’m pretty sure he’s drinking something fruity. Good taste.”

Clint laughed and sipped his drink again, “Man, don’t see them, but sounds pretty hot.”

“Hottest guy I’ve seen in awhile,” Bucky said with a smile. “Makes me smile every time I look at him.”

Clint let out a whistle he had no idea was a successful one or not, “Damn, you should totally go kiss that guy before someone else does.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I think I might just do that.” Smirking, Bucky leaned forward while getting out of his chair and planted a kiss on Clint’s lips, letting it linger for a bit before he pulled back.

Clint hummed, happily, “Well hello tall dark and handsome.” he smiled gently.

Bucky winked at Clint before sitting back and taking a drink of his beer. “If you want another, just ask and I’ll give it.”

“Nice, unlimited refills on the kisses from the hot guy!” Clint laughed. Then he leaned forward, offering the second half of his strawberry, “Want a bite, Sweet-stuff?”

"Especially if you're gonna call me that." Bucky took a bite of the offered strawberry, leaning forward just enough to give Clint another kiss.

“You two are disgustingly sweet. But might want to tone it down. That group of regulars over in the corner—douchebags, the lot of them. And super homophobic. The kind that would probably get violent so...you know, try not to get targeted?” the waitress said as she set down their food.

Clint shrugged, “I’m pretty good at avoiding fists.”

“I’d like to see any of them try to get violent with me,” Bucky said with a smirk. “Years of combat training and being an army veteran tends to teach you some good self defence skills.”

She shrugged, “Just thought it’d be better to warn you about the bigots. It’s a shame there are still people like that but...just stay safe, alright? And let me know if you need anything else, or when you’re ready to pay your bill. I’ll be around.”

“Well, it’s very nice of you to warn us, thanks.” Clint grinned at her.

“Thank you, ma’am,” The brunet said as she walked away and he took another sip of his beer. His gaze turned back to Clint as he spoke. “I’ll keep an eye on those guys tonight, you just enjoy yourself.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you sometimes talk like you’re still in the old-timey times?” Clint asked in amusement as he stabbed a few fries loaded with gravy, cheese curds, and shredded pork with his fork. “It’s rather adorable. Makes me want to kiss you.”

“You could keep kissing me and I can deck those guys in the face already.” Bucky laughed as he also got some food on a fork. “But I guess my way of talking does kinda stick out a bit. Never got used to modern speech as Hydra was using me.”

“I like it. Sounds so fancy and polite compared to most of us these days. Never stop talking the way you do, even if you adopt modern words and phrases, keep the old ones. Especially when you call me ‘doll’ or ‘babydoll’. I really shouldn’t like those pet names as much as I do.”

“I’ll keep calling you doll until the day I die. Those pet names are what I grew up with, they aren’t going away any time soon.”

“Good! Also, you should try this, it’s delicious.”

Bucky nodded, putting his loaded fork into his mouth and making a satisfied noise. Sometimes a pile of fried potatoes smothered in cheese and gravy hit the spot just right, and Bucky was experiencing that first hand.

“Good, right?” Clint grinned, digging in for more.

Once they finished eating, Clint glanced over at the pool table which was currently not being used, “Pool?”

"Sure, let's see if I remember how to play," Bucky said as he got to his feet after finishing off his beer.

Clint grabbed his drink, which he was nursing just so it’d last before he switched over to beer for the evening, and walked over to the table, setting his drink on the edge and putting quarters in to release the balls so he could rack them up. Then he chose a stick and made sure it was straight and chalked. “You want to break or should I?”

"I wanna see if you can do it correctly," Bucky teased while getting his own stick.

“Don’t think you can remember how to break, then?” Clint smirked, walking around to line up the cue. He bent over,pushing his butt out further than necessary to give his boyfriend a good view as he lined up his shot and took it.

The cue ball broke the triangle of balls nicely, a solid sinking into the corner pocket.

Clint grinned, “Looks like I’m solids, and I get another shot. You do remember that the eight ball must be the last ball in to win, right? If either of us knocks it in before we sink all our other balls, it’s an automatic loss. If we get all our balls in, then that’s the winning ball to sink.” he explained in case Bucky really didn’t remember the rules of a casual game. He wasn’t going to get complicated with calling shots, at least for now.

"Yeah yeah, I remember how to play. I'm just seeing how well you play before I beat you." Bucky smirked while leaning on his pool stick.

“Bold of you to assume you’ll get the chance by letting me break. Clint lined up his next shot and sank three more solids before moving around, sipping his drink, and then lining up his next shot. He hit a stripe that moved to knock another solid in, without falling in itself. Clint repositioned himself for his next shot, and then the next before he smirked at his boyfriend, “All I have left is the magic eight ball. Wanna make a bet I get it in without also knocking in any of the stripes surrounding it? If I win I get a kiss.”

“You’re just lucky this round,” Bucky said, looking a little less cocky. “But I guess you can get a kiss if you win. Only if you win though.”

“Prepare to give me that kiss.” Clint said, making the shot with barely a glance at what he was doing. The grouping of balls were hit with the cue and were sent in different directions, bouncing off each other and the edges until finally, the eight ball sank into a pocket and the moving stripes settled without falling into any pockets. Clint straightened up and cheered, pumping a fist, “Oh yeah! I’m the best!”

Bucky sighed and frowned a little. “Well damn. I guess I owe you a kiss now, even though I didn’t play in the game once.”

“You can break the next round.” Clint grinned, leaning back against the table and beckoning Bucky closer to claim his prize. “Then maybe we can try darts.”

“If you’re this good at pool, then I don’t want to lose at darts.” Bucky smirked again and gave Clint his victory kiss. “Alright, I’m breaking, so give an old man some slack,” he joked.

“I hate to tell you this, but I’m even better at darts than I am at pool.”

“Well then I don’t want to play darts.” The brunet laughed as he and Clint set up the table for a new round. Once it was ready, Bucky broke and successfully sunk three balls into pockets before he missed and let Clint play.

“You almost had me thinking you were just as good as me, darling.” Clint said, moving around to line up his best shot that would guarantee him two of his balls would go in. He made the shot and smiled as he watched the cue roll towards the spot he’d aimed for to start the chain reaction he wanted when a hand came down, blocking the ball and ruining the shot. Clint scowled and straightened up to fix a glare on the man who so rudely interrupted their game. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“You are,” the man spat. “You and your disgusting man whore playing with you.”

Bucky froze, eyes fixed on the man who interrupted their game, his wolf wanting so desperately to take over and rip the guy’s throat out. He remained in control, though, taking a careful step towards Clint.

Clint just gave a cocky smile, “Oh, I think you’re confused. I’m pretty sure I’m _his_ man whore. Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up, why don’t you go have a drink and leave us to the rest of our game?”

“Don’t play smart with me, blondie” the man hissed. “This isn’t the place for you to make out with your kind. Now let me teach you a lesson on coming in here with your gay shit.”

“You lay a hand on him, and I’ll be sending you to the hospital,” Bucky said in a low tone, his expression nothing but serious. “You really don’t want to be playing this game.”

“And why the fuck not, fucking whore? You gonna call the cops on me and make them tell me to stop? They fear me.”

“I highly doubt they fear you. But if they do, I don’t. I’ve seen bullies like you before, only way worse. Being in the army teaches you how to deal with those bullies, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to practice on you.”

“Hey, leave them alone, they aren’t hurting anyone.” someone from the nearby table spoke up.

“We really would rather just get back to our date, you know.” Clint said, “We don’t want to fight with assholes.”

“You want a fight? I’ll give you a fight!” The man pulled back his arm, but before he could land the punch he was clearly aiming at Clint, Bucky stepped in and grabbed the man’s arm, twisting it around until he heard the shoulder pop out of its socket.

“I told you not to do that,” he warned the man while watching him cry out in pain and fall to the floor.

“Wow, that was fast.” Clint said, looking over Bucky’s shoulder at the guy, “You gonna leave us alone now?”

"Fuckin bitch, you broke my shoulder!" The man wailed.

"No I didn't," Bucky responded, sounding bored. "I dislocated it. I recommended going to the hospital."

“Or just pop it back in. Hurts like hell but it’d be fine. I’ve done it a few times myself.” Clint said before moving to set the cue ball as close to where it was sitting before his shot was blocked. “I’d offer to do it for you, but you did try to punch me.”

"I can't fucking move my arm!" The man continued to wail on the ground, which caused Bucky to sigh in annoyance.

"Quit whining, you big baby. It's clear no one has ever stood up to you before."

"You guys just go back to your game," the waitress who had been serving the couple said as she approached them. "I've got the cops on the way already. They've arrested this guy several times, so they won't press charges against anyone but him. Besides, you have plenty of witnesses that you acted in self defence"

"How nice," Bucky said, finally smiling.

Clint finished off his drink before slipping an arm around Bucky, “Okay, sexy, come back and watch me kick your ass one more time.”

Bucky snorted. "How fun! I get to watch my boyfriend best me at pool twice in a row."

“Yup, but at least this time you did get some balls in.”

After they finished the game of pool and paid their bill, Clint and Bucky grabbed their coats and headed back towards their motel. Clint sighed constantly and leaned against Bucky as they walked, “Tonight was fun. Ignoring the asshole, of course. “

“Of course. I loved our date.” Smiling, Bucky wrapped his arm around Clint’s waist. “We should definitely do it again before we have to leave this town.”

“I’m sure we’ll find time to go on more dates both here and after we move on. Maybe when we get to New York we can find a place to go dancing like you mentioned.”

“You have no idea how much I’d love that. I…” Bucky frowned briefly. “I used to live in Brooklyn. My friend and I would always hit up the hottest clubs when we could afford it.”

“Same friend as before or a different one? Clint asked.

“I think the same friend. Feels familiar.”

Clint nodded, “Seems you were very close to him. All your memories of friends seem to be the same guy for the most part. Kinda makes me wonder if you had dated him or at least kissed him before.”

“I suppose it’s possible. I haven’t had any memories of that yet though.”

“Considering the guy’s a famous superhero, it’d be cool knowing if you did ever get to kiss the guy, or date him and wow, that would mean I’m dating a guy who’s kissed Captain America. Might be a downgrade for you but still! Kinda neat to think about. I’ve kissed lips that kissed Cap…”

“Hey now, we don’t actually know if I kissed the guy or not. And besides, anyone else would be a downgrade compared to you.”

“I don’t think so. I mean, he’s Captain fucking America and I’m just some circus brat who read the comics about the guy as a kid.”

“You’re more attractive,” Bucky said.

Clint flushed, “Is it the band-aids I always seem to have?” he asked.

“That does add to part of it,” the other responded with a smile. “That and you’re somehow the most adorable thing I’ve ever met. You’re fun to be around, and not just because you escaped with me from Hydra.”

“Imagine that, the guy who grew up in a circus is fun.” Clint joked.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, but I mean it. I’ve been without anyone fun for years, so it’s nice to have someone I can just have fun with.”

Clint just let out a chuckle and kissed Bucky’s cheek, “Pretty sure even having to wake up to go to a normal job is fun after Hydra.”

“Getting back to a normal life is more than I could have hoped for while still working for them.”

“Eventually, we can have a completely normal life if you want. A place we can call home, a dog to call our baby, maybe your old BFF Captain America would swing by for taco night once a week if the world isn’t under attack or something.”

“I doubt he’d even remember me. If it really is him who was my friend back then, I’m struggling so much to even find an identity to the person in my memories. But a normal life… that just all sounds perfect.”

“I really don’t think you’re forgettable, Bucky. If he is your old friend, he’ll remember you. I just hope your relationship hadn’t been like a friends to enemies type deal. That’d be awkward…”

“I couldn’t tell you if we’ve met after Hydra got to me. If we were good friends back in the day, I really hope Hydra didn’t fuck that up.”

“I’ll vouch for you if he isn’t very welcoming. Not that he knows me at all and would have a reason to trust me on it, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying. The only people who know what Hydra is capable of behind the scenes is Hydra themselves, you, and kinda me.”

“You experienced enough to know they’re not good. They shot you up with wolf DNA and called it a successful experiment.” Bucky smiled. “But you are a pretty wolf, so I guess it’s not all that bad.”

“I really need to shift in front of a mirror or something so I can see just how pretty my wolf form is.” Clint chuckled as they turned into the motel lot and moved towards their door.

“You can do it tonight. We can see each other’s wolves in full color too.”

“I see your wolf a lot, you big cuddly fuzzball.” Clint laughed.

"I just wanna see how your fur looks, since I've only gotten to see its true color when we went to the pet shop and that first morning after our escape." Bucky said while pulling out a key for the room.

“You want me to shift before sex or after? Because I’m pretty sure sex was the plan for when we got back from date night.” Clint said as they entered their room and he started stripping out of his coat. “You picked up lube and everything.”

"After, if you have the energy. We can doze off afterwards, and I like the idea of cuddling up with your wolf for a bit." Bucky took off his layers of clothes until he was just in a t-shirt and jeans.

“I’ll be able to hear your pillow talk, too that way. I can close my eyes and just relax with you. That’ll be nice.” Clint said as he tugged his shirt up over his head, knowing he wouldn’t miss reading Bucky’s lips when he’s the one saying something.

“I’ll talk you to sleep, I guarantee it.” Smiling, Bucky stripped off the rest of his clothes until he was fully naked. 

Clint wiggled out of his pants, leaving them on the floor as he stepped towards the bed, tugging the layers of shirts off over his head and tossing them aside before flopping down face-first. He then rolled over and pushed himself half up to face Bucky again, “So, how you wanna do this?”

“Well, do you have any preferences? Or rather, have you done this sort of thing before?”

“Yeah, and nah.” Clint shrugged with a shit-eating grin, “I’ve never done this with anyone I was serious about—only one night stands or quick fucks in the bathroom of whatever bar I’m at. That kind of casual thing. And I’ve already told you I’m a bottom bitch when given the choice.”

“Well, not sure you get much of a choice with me, you’re bottoming for me.” Bucky smirked as he crawled on the bed and started kissing Clint. After a bit, he pulled back to catch his breath. “You got specific things you like? Biting, teasing, being tied up? Maybe you want your collar on?”

“Oh, now you’re tempting the kinks. Wanting to get a bit rough with me, alpha wolfie-boy?” Clint practically purred into Bucky’s lips, “I think I’m quite fine with any of those you mentioned.:

“I like the collar idea,” Bucky said while getting up to quickly grab Clint’s collar. He was back in the bed in seconds, motioning for Clint to lean forward more so the collar could be slipped on. 

“It's a bit big for my human form.” Clint said, running his fingers along the dyed leather, “Won’t be as controlling if you use it to move me around.”

“I just think it looks pretty on your neck.” Bucky leaned down to nuzzle the blond’s neck, taking in the scent there before kissing pale skin.

“It’s purple, of course it does!” Clint laughed.

"Purple makes you look very pretty for me." Getting an amused look on his face, Bucky sat back. "How's your wolf handling all this?"

Clint tilted his head as he regarded his wolf, “He’s curious and a bit excited. I’m not sure he quite knows what the idea of sex is, but once we start I think he’ll gain those instincts quickly like he did back when we first discovered you had a knot. God, that will be interesting. Never took a knot before.”

"If you can't take it, let me know. I won't make you take it if you can't handle it. Which, I mean, at that point we could just switch to our wolves and do it doggy style."

“Fuck, that’s awkward to think about, but I guess our wolves are just as much us as our human selves are…So not furry sex? Or still furry sex? Man, I never thought I’d be open to having sex with a wolf...or having sex while a wolf...with a wolf. Just—no human-wolf sex either way. Too far out of my comfort zone I think.”

"Hey, we don't have to do it as wolves," Bucky said while moving to cup Clint's face. "We can stick to just sex as humans. I'm more than okay with that."

“Wolf-on-wolf is kinda our backup plan if I can’t take that knot of yours.” Clint pointed out “Knots are kinda designed to get stuck for a bit, you know? Just, if I shift because of it, you shift too.”

Bucky nodded. "Don't feel like you have to hold back a shift. Just give me a warning if you can so I can shift with you."

“I’ll definitely let you know somehow. I’ll cry wolf or something, probably.”

Bucky laughed before moving down Clint's body and promptly taking the blond's cock into his mouth.

“Starting with something familiar, I see.” Clint moaned, his fingers tangling in Bucky’s hair and tugging as a slick tongue slid along his shaft.

The brunet glanced up and winked as he worked his tongue around Clint’s cock. Soon he started bobbing his head to build up some friction.

“Mmmm,” Clint’s legs wrapped themselves around Bucky as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back to savor the moment.

Bucky didn’t linger on giving Clint a blowjob for very long, because thanks to his wolf, he was getting quite excited, and he knew he would actually be able to do something about it finally. It was just a matter of how much foreplay he could actually stand to do. As it turned out, the answer to that was not very much, especially if the wolf had anything to say about it. Licking his lips, Bucky came off Clint’s cock with a hum, reaching into one of the nightstands to grab the bottle of lube he had picked up earlier.

Clint made a disappointed sound and blinked his eyes open to look over at Bucky, “I was just getting into that.” he pouted.

“Be patient, omega,” Bucky purred, then promptly looked confused, because that was definitely his wolf speaking through him. Not once in the time they had known each other had Bucky called Clint “omega”, as if they were an actual wolf pack and those were their ranks. Except that didn’t make much sense, because alpha wolves didn’t mate to omegas. Then again, they weren’t actual wolves, only shifters who happened to have wolf instincts, and that included the whole alpha and omega business that was associated with wolf packs.

Clint was looking at him with raised eyebrows and a blush across his cheeks, “No idea why, but you calling me that made my wolf very pleased and excited. Hell, I feel that excitement more in my ass than my dick, which is new…”

Bucky blinked, looking down at Clint. “My wolf reacted similarly. Like when you’ve called me alpha before.”

“It gave you ass tingles?” Clint teased.

"Ok, similar except that part," Bucky said with a smirk. "My ass doesn't tingle."

Clint giggled, and if he had been able to hear what kind of laugh he’d let out, he probably would have been embarrassed, “Just me then.”

If he would have had his tail, Bucky would have been wagging it like crazy. Somehow Clint was the cutest thing he’d seen in a long time, and the giggle only added to the cuteness. Letting out an excited noise, the brunet tackled Clint into an eager kiss. He wanted to rut against the blond, kiss him, and just all out ravish him all at the same time, he was starting to feel giddy.

Clint moaned and kissed back, wrapping his legs around Bucky’s hips to pull them closer together. Their cocks were pressed together, and one of Bucky’s thighs was nudged up against his ass, a warm wetness Clint hadn’t noticed pressing against Bucky’s skin.

Bucky pulled back, breathless, with a confused smile. “Did you cum already” he asked between breaths.

“Hmm?” Clint gave a kiss-drunk smile as he let his gaze drop to Bucky’s lips. When Bucky repeated his question, Clint’s expression turned confused. “I didn’t cum at all. I do need more than a partial blow job and a heated kiss to hit my climax, you know.”

“Well there’s something wet down there, so that’s why I asked.” Bucky pulled back a little so Clint could sit up.

“Then maybe _you_ came early, horney alpha.” Clint shrugged, pushing himself up onto his elbows and releasing his legs’ hold on his boyfriend.

"I know I came early behind the pet store that _one time_ , but I know I didn't just cum." Looking down, Bucky ran a finger over the mysterious liquid that seemed to suddenly appear.

“Well it had to come from somewhere. The lube bottle is still sealed!” Clint said, grabbing said bottle to check.

"I think it's coming from you…" The brunet checked the consistency of the liquid between his fingers. "It feels like lube."

“Coming from where?” Clint sat up, tucking his legs under him as he leaned over to look at the stuff coating Bucky’s fingertips. That’s when he felt something wet trickle down his butt cheek and onto his ankle. “The fuck?” he reached down between his legs and ran his fingers along his crack and across his hole, his eyes widening when he felt the source.

 _He_ was wet. In a womanly-like sense of the term. And that was...new. New and confusing and…

He took a deep breath.

No, this wasn’t quite new if he thought about it. This was just the first time it’s happened without a convenient excuse allowing him to ignore it. The first time he’d noticed he’d been wet was when he’d blown Bucky outside the pet shop. He’d just assumed the wetness was melted snow from placing his ass on his boots when he was on his knees. And the times since then he’d just gotten out of a shower and would assume the wetness he noticed after starting to make out with Bucky was because he hadn’t toweled himself completely dry. But it had always been his ass, no other suspiciously wet areas, and it only happened when he was feeling horney.

Clint licked his lips and brought his fingers up to smell them. It smelled strangely sweet and pleasant despite being from his ass, and it was lube-like in consistency. Very slick. 

This _had_ to be one of the changes his body had undergone when Hydra had started injecting him with shit. And considering his wolf seemed quite calm and unaffected by this new realization, Clint would have bet that it was linked to something wolfy.

But still…

“What the fuck…”

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked once he had Clint's attention again.

Clint swallowed and met Bucky’s gaze, “I think my ass is half vagina now.” Or something. He didn’t know how else to explain it.

"Maybe this is something that omegas do," Bucky suggested. "Since Hydra was doing the whole testing on the dormant secondary genders."

“Dormant secondary genders?” Clint asked, tilting his head. He remembered one labcoat mentioning something about Clint’s gender—taking bets or something. It all just felt like it didn’t matter because he had a dick and he was comfortable with the fact he had a dick. But now he also had an ass-vagina and...he found he was strangely comfortable with that fact as well. Truthfully, he’d never really considered actually thinking about his gender identity because he’d been content to just know he was a gay guy. But what if he’d been a girl? Would he be just as comfortable with his body then? Was he actually somewhere on the non-bionary spectrum? That thought didn’t feel wrong.

Hu. Who knew that he’d end up on this kind of path to self discovery after rolling around in bed with his boyfriend for a bit?

But still, gender identity aside, he’d never heard of dormant secondary genders before.

"Alpha, omega, those are dormant genders in humans. But Hydra figured out how to activate them via shifter blood. They nailed it with me, then failed until basically you." Bucky shrugged. "But you are okay?"

“And here you let me think that our alpha and omega titles were all related to wolfy dynamics. It’s more to do with gender and sex, it seems.” Clint nudged against Bucky and then shrugged, “I’m okay. It’s a bit of a shock because I had no idea this was possible, but thinking about it, I don’t mind how my body is. Like, you’d think I’d be upset or something at the idea of this happening to my body, but it feels natural to me...I don’t know, it feels right...and kinda...like there was a missing piece to the puzzle that is Clint Barton that I didn’t know had been missing until it slotted in place. Kinda like how it felt when I realized I was gay. Still strange, though.”

Leaning forward, Bucky put his hands on either side of Clint's face. "I accept you however you choose to label yourself. You're my mate, so I'm always going to accept you."

“Thank you.” Clint pressed a kiss to his lips. “It seems I have some self reflection to do on a few things to find out exactly where I am on some of this, and maybe try to do research on the physical parts of this. Probably would be good to know, but for now, Bucky, my alpha, I’m pretty sure we were getting ready for some fun. Still up for it?”

"Of course I am," Bucky said excitedly. "And now that we know you produce your own lubricant, I realized I wasted some of our money on a tube we don't really need."

“We didn’t break the seal, we can probably return it.” Clint shrugged, “Or maybe we’ll need it anyway if what I have down there isn’t enough. We’ll see how this goes.”

“Maybe we should put a towel down…” Without waiting for a response, Bucky got up and went to the bathroom, grabbing a clean towel and tossing it onto the bed. “Just so we don’t ruin the mattress and sheets.”

“It’s a cheap motel, I kinda assume the mattress is already fucked all the way to nasty and back. But yeah, keeping the linens _clean_ would be nice.” Clint said, shifting over onto the towel.

“Gotta leave things somewhat in the same condition.” Bucky smiled as he crawled back onto the bed, instantly going in for another kiss, then trailing a multitude of kisses down Clint’s body until his mouth reached the blond’s thighs. He moved back up Clint’s body, a hand lingering around the blond’s ass teasingly.

“Tease. Come on, let's test this new talent of mine out.” Clint whined, settling his hands on Bucky’s shoulders.

“No preparation? Just wanna go for it?” Bucky asked, crawling forward until his face was right over Clint’s.

“You crazy? Of course I want prep! Have you seen how big, long, and _thick_ you are? And that’s before your knot! Of course I want to make sure I can take it before I’m taking it. But you kinda gotta stick those wandering fingers inside to do that, not just palm at my ass cheeks.”

“Alright, don’t get your panties in a twist.” Once again moving back, Bucky spread Clint’s legs apart and ran a finger down from his balls to his hole that apparently was creating its own lubricant. He pushed a finger in slowly to test how tight Clint might be.

Clint sucked in a breath and held it as a shiver ran through him. He’d let guys fuck him before, having a fingertip pressing inside him really shouldn’t be anything new, but it was like he was rewired to be even more sensitive than before, and fuck, it was good.

As Bucky slid his finger in deeper to start working him loose, Clint found his body adjusting to it much faster than he remembered the past being like.

Yup, new talents seem a winner.

He let out his breath with a moan and parted his legs more before pulling them up so he could use them to lift his hips slightly and give Bucky better access.

Bucky let out a pleased sound as he added a second finger, and then soon after, a third, each finger going in easier than the last. It wasn’t long before his hand was getting soaked in whatever kind of lubricant Clint’s body was producing. He swore he would be able to fit his whole hand in eventually, but going that far would risk the blond reaching a climax much earlier than Bucky wanted, so he removed his fingers and grabbed Clint’s thighs to spread them apart further. His own cock sat firmly against Clint’s, and he looked up at the blond with an intense gaze. 

“Ready?”

“Fucking yeah.” Clint said, trying to sound firm and confident but his voice already hinting at how wrecked he was.

Bucky offered an amused look before pulling back his hips enough to move his cock into position, and once he was satisfied with the position, he thrust forward as slowly as he could handle, letting out a gasp that was barely audible.

“Ohmygod.” Clint moaned out, eyes closed and fists gripping the towel under them.

A small whine escaped Bucky’s lips once he was fully inside Clint, pausing a moment to take in the feeling of being so close to the blond. Slowly, he leaned down to kiss Clint with a sigh.

“My wolf is all into this now.” Clint whispered, his breath heavy as he wrapped his arms around Bucky’s shoulders.

“So is mine,” Bucky replied with a chuckle. As much as his wolf wanted to go full speed right out of the gate, the brunet forced himself to move slow, building up a gentle rhythm until he was moving his hips at a consistent pace.

Clint moaned, holding back none of his sounds of pleasure. His legs wrapped around Bucky’s waist again and he tucked his nose into Bucky’s neck, breathing in his scent as he gasped and whimpered happily.

Trying not to knock Clint around too much, Bucky tried keeping the blond’s back on the bed as much as possible. As he picked up speed just slightly, he knew it was going to be a bit harder to keep Clint from bouncing around, so it was best to prevent it earlier in the act. Not that Clint seemed to mind.

“Bucky!” Clint moaned, his nails scraping reddened lines into his back, and his vision flashed wolfish for a second, though he managed to stay in control and human.

Bucky growled slightly at the scratching, because it definitely felt like more than just simple scratches, but he kept going, letting his hips move into a speed that was more intense.

“ _Ah! Ahh!_ ” the blond clung tighter to his boyfriend—his mate, and tilted his head back, baring his neck in a show of submission. Fuck, he was so close. He could feel it as his inner walls started twitching as if searching for something. And maybe it was strange to feel his mounting climax inside more than in his cock, but he didn’t have the ability to wonder about it. He felt good with Bucky inside him. It was addictingly amazing.

“I—I’m—I—!” he gasped out, words failing him the closer he was brought to pure bliss.

Seeing the neck being barred at him, Bucky grunted and leaned his head down to nip at the pale skin. He wanted desperately to bite, but he was worried it would be his wolf who bit, and therefore would leave a nasty bite that would be hard to explain. Nevertheless, the brunet flooded his nose with Clint's scent, and with a groan, he once again picked up the pace until he felt himself tumble over the edge of his climax, breath catching in his throat while his hips thrust forward one last time and locked the two of them together.

Clint’s breath hitched when he felt Bucky’s knot starting to grow and catch on his rim, sending a thrill through his entire body, but when it locked into place, his inner walls contracting down onto it, it was exactly what he needed to tumble over the edge into pleasure, his vision whiting out a moment, and he was sure he probably cried out loudly.

When he came back to himself enough to be aware of their surroundings, Clint was trembling and limp on the bed, Bucky’s bulk and weight on top of him grounding him in a way that made him feel safe and protected, and wow, he was still stretched so much, still locked on Bucky’s knot and even the smallest twitch of movement would send a shock of pleasure through his oversensitive hole.

“F-fuck, Bucky….wow…”

Bucky pulled back his head enough for Clint to see, and he smiled. "I know. _That_ was fantastic."

“I think you have ruined me for any other guy’s dick. Fuck, that knot of yours is amazing.” he reached up with one hand to cup Bucky’s cheek.”

“I hope you don’t ever want another man,” Bucky said, huffing and shoving his nose into Clint’s neck.

“Don’t worry,” Clint said, the tease easing out of his voice, “I may have slept around before, but I always promised myself that if I ever got a real relationship, that I’d never ever cheat.”

“Good,” Bucky said into Clint’s neck. He pulled back again and smiled. “I didn’t notice you shifting at all, by the way. You did a good job of keeping your wolf under control.”

“I think my vision shifted for a sec, but no claws or teeth!” Clint grinned.

“Well… maybe your nails got a little sharper, but no full shift anyways.” Bucky smiled and ruffled Clint’s hair. “Now, as soon as this knot lets up… we’ll get cleaned up and settled in for bed.”

“No rush. Feels good and full.” Clint hurried to say. “You can stay in me as long as you want, Bucky.”

Bucky made a satisfied noise, happy that Clint was happy to stay in that position as long as he wanted. But they did have cuddling plans, so as soon as he felt everything loosen up, he removed himself from the blond and wiped himself off with the towel, choosing a spot that wasn’t already wet.

Clint moaned in protest, but didn’t bother moving as Bucky cleaned them both up. Once the mess was taken care of, Clint sighed and rolled over onto his side letting his wolf forward as he shifted lazilly with a huff.

Yawning, Bucky crawled back onto the bed, running a hand over Clint’s fur before settling down next to the wolf. “Your fur is really soft.”

Clint made an amused sound and turned his head to lick at Bucky’s jaw.

“Feel nice to hear again?” The brunet asked, scratching behind Clint’s ears.

Clint gave a small nod of his head before shifting closer and nuzzling into Bucky’s neck. It was a little annoying that they could only communicate properly if they were both in wolf form, leaving one to find other ways to communicate if the other was human at the time. But Bucky petting him when he was a wolf felt so nice, so he wasn’t going to demand that Bucky also shift. He also wasn’t going to try and hide the fact that his tail was wagging, thumping against the bed rhythmically.

Bucky smiled and rubbed Clint's belly. "Good. We'll get those heading aids for you eventually. Also your collar looks really pretty next to your fur color."

Clint licked Bucky again. Of course it looked good on him. It was purple! Best color ever.

Soon Bucky turned on his side and wrapped his arms around Clint, taking in a deep breath of the wolf's scent. He yawned, closed his eyes, then began rambling about work, what his life used to be like as he could remember it, anything that wasn't Hydra to lull the both of them into sleep.

* * *

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Clint grunted as he dropped himself into a chair for one of the local library’s public computers and used the code given to him by the librarian to log in. He had never really had much experience with the machines before, so it took him longer than most to figure out what he needed to do to find the information he was doubtful of actually finding. But still, he had to try.

Once on Google, he started trying keywords, finding a lot of nothing time after time, until finally, he found a link that looked...well, not promising, but not useless, either. He clicked it and began to read.

It was a conspiracy theory site, because of course it was, making bold claims about the idea of secondary genders. Three of them; alpha, beta, and omega. It all would have been nonsense to Clint if he didn’t know what he already knew, and when the page’s claims matched up with what he and Bucky had already known or discovered about themselves, he started paying closer attention to the other claims.

It went over the theorized history, on how and why secondary genders became dormant, spoke out on the theories that it “scientifically explained” LGBT people and why some men seemed infertile and some women unable to get pregnant no matter what they try. Clint had to admit that if one were to believe in all this, it did make sense.

But the part that really caught his attention was when it was explaining omegas. Omegas who, whether male or female, would have heat periods where they were able to conceive. They were able to give birth, just as female betas were able. And if that were true…

Clint could become pregnant.

He blinked and leaned back in his chair as he thought on that.

Men didn’t have wombs, but then again, what if they did have the potential to have them? What if they just never knew about it because they don’t develop until the omega is at age to present, as the site called it. Clint took it to mean puberty. But with the secondary genders being dormant, those changes wouldn’t be triggered during puberty, and the parts wouldn’t make themselves known.

And Clint had sort of been forced into presenting. He’d been injected and in pain as the wolf inside him formed. But after all that, his body was still feeling strange. Cramps, growing pains….what if that was his body catching up on what should have happened during puberty?

If a doctor scanned his insides now, would they find a womb?

Yeah, Bucky was  _ so  _ going to need to use condoms, especially if he started getting a ‘heat’.

The site had a forum where believers chatted about the theory. Mostly making claims that they were definitely an alpha. Clint snorted, he seriously doubted that many people were alphas compared to the very few who claimed they were omegas. And no one claimed to be a beta, which made sense, seeing as the information on betas offered zero changes from what humans were without a secondary gender. Everyone likes to think they are different. But there was also speculation on what heats and ruts (for alphas) were like, and he scanned through that, though he didn’t know if he trusted it. It was pretty clear none of the people in the discussion actually had unlocked their secondary genders. He’d have to be on the look-out for any potential heats...and he could ask Bucky if he’d had any ruts. Bucky had been around with his wolf a lot longer than he had, after all.

Figuring he’d gotten all the information he was going to find, he closed the browser and logged out of the computer before standing up and pulling his coat back on to leave.

Right as Clint was walking out of the library, a hand grabbed his shoulder and started dragging him down the sidewalk towards an alley. Their face was hidden pretty well, but they knew sign, and they signed with their free hand quickly for Clint to be quiet and just cooperate.

Clint only allowed his shock and surprise to distract him from fighting back for only a few steps before he let out a snarl that was only half-animalistic as he twisted to break the grip on his shoulder.

“Jesus Christ, Clint,” the person hissed, moving quicker and pulling him into the alley before they revealed themself. “Calm down would you, it’s just me.”

“Nat?” Clint blinked at the pretty redhead he’d spent countless hours in various bars with. She wasn’t part of the circus, but she’d often just turn up in towns the circus happened to be visiting, and they had struck up a friendship after so many times bumping into each other. He didn’t know what she did for a living that kept her traveling, but he had never cared about that kind of thing. A friend was a friend, and he enjoyed getting a drink with her when they met up.

But he was in a small town in Canada, and here she was again, grabbing him from behind. It seemed a bit suspicious, really.

“What the hell, you could have just greeted me normally, you know.”

“No, not this time, I’m afraid.” Nat sighed, stepping back. “Listen, you’re not safe here, even if you think so. Trust me, you need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Uh, yeah, I know, but how do  _ you _ know that?” he asked.

“I've been watching you for a while, it’s why I keep showing up. Please, you just have to trust me on this, Clint, you need to get out of here very soon.”

“I plan to go as soon as I save up enough money to buy new aids—why are you watching me?”

“Because… you and I are both part of something big, and it’s not the good kind of big.” Nat glanced back towards the sidewalk before returning her gaze to Clint. “I know what happened to you, and I can’t tell you yet how I know, but you have to trust me when I say that you’re more in danger here than you realize.  _ They  _ are getting closer every day to finding you, and right now the safest place for you to be is  _ here _ .”

She pulled a paper out of her coat pocket, shoving it into Clint’s coat. “Don’t look at that until you get back to your motel. I know this is a lot of weird stuff, but you really need to trust me without much explanation right now.”

“Yeah, still need money, you know; and aids. Believe it or not, not being able to hear when someone is about to grab you from behind isn’t exactly fun. So unless you can help a friend out with that, I’m going to have to stay in the job I got myself here for a bit longer.”

Nat nodded, fishing out some money from her pocket. “Here, some Canadian and American currency. Get yourself some aids and supplies for the road. That paper I gave you also has my number on it. Call me when you reach the states, and I can help you from there.”

“Uh, thanks...okay, I guess you’re really serious…” Clint said, blinking at the money she shoved into his hands. Normally, he’d try to give it back, but Hydra really was an issue he didn’t want to deal with anytime soon, so he pocketed it all and nodded.

“I’m very serious. Leave when you can… and keep an eye on your companion. He’s important in all of this too.”

“Wait, you know about him, too? I thought you just meant how Barney and the circus betrayed me… Just how much do you know?”

"More than you think," Nat responded. "Keep yourselves safe, and don't forget to call me when you've crossed the border. Okay?"

“Okay...you sure you can’t just tell me what's going on now?”

"I'm sure, just remember to keep a low profile… And if you can find a bow, get it." The redhead smiled and hugged Clint, then she was gone, rushing out of the alley while covering up her face.

“Why do I have such a strange friend?” Clint sighed, watching her go before turning to head back to the motel to count up what they had. Bucky was getting a paycheck, so that would be added in as well as he considered what all they would need to buy before leaving town and heading for the border.

When Clint got back to their room, Bucky was curled up on the bed in his wolf form, taking a nap while the TV played some soap opera at a low volume. The wolf hardly stirred from his nap, his ears twitching at the door opening and closing.

“Aw, doggy boyfriend, yes.” Clint got on the bed and curled up next to the huge wolf, shoving his face into his dark fur without bothering to take off his coat or boots.

That got Bucky to startle awake, but his surprise didn’t last long, and he huffed while shifting to curl around Clint. He make a little barking sound while taking in the blond’s scent.

“Hey babe.” Clint gave a light tug to Bucky’s ear, “Did you already pick up your pay?”

Bucky snorted before giving his best nod.

“Good, cuz, uh, we might need to leave sooner than expected.”

The wolf picked up his head, tilting it slightly.

“Got an unexpected visit today. We should make sure we have what we need to travel, and then going.”

Still confused, Bucky shifted back to human. “Visit from who? You didn’t run into Hydra did you?”

“No, I don’t think so. It was a friend. She and I kept running into each other randomly over the past few years, and we’d always just hang out with a few drinks, checking out the single guys together. But she did say that I’m not safe here and I need to move sooner rather than later. I tried brushing it off but she just handed over a bunch of money and told me to get what I needed and get out. So I figure she wasn’t just joking around.”

“Oh… yeah, we need to go soon, then.” Bucky sighed. “And I was just starting to like settling down.”

“We’ll get to settle down...just...it’ll be a bit of a wait, first. We’ll have to make sure Hydra won't be a problem anymore for us.”

“Probably should be our priority at this point. How much money did your friend give you?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t take the time to count it before coming back here. She also gave me an address to what I assume is a safehouse we can use.” Clint said, pulling back and digging everything out of his pockets.

“A safehouse sounds nice. Hopefully it’s not in a crowded area that could be crawling with Hydra agents.”

“Maybe in the woods where two wolves could run around.” Clint nodded as he sorted the cash and counting it all. “Wow, this is a lot more than I thought it was...adding this to our savings, we’ll be able to pay for our room and my aids no problem with having plenty for travel after we leave… What the hell, is she secretly rich or something?”

“Or has a good paying job as a spy, because she sure seems like one from everything you’ve said about her.”

“A spy? Nat? But she—okay, maybe I can see it. She’s got that sexy James Bond thing going for her. She’d be a rocking double-O-seven. But still...why would a spy want to befriend a circus brat like me?”

“Maybe she just wanted to see that you were safe. Or she has a crush on you,” James teased.

“Nat? Nah, she knows I’m into guys, plus she’s like, a fifteen on a scale of one to ten, and I’m like, a six at best.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, you’re at least a ten on your bad days.”

“Says the actual ten who somehow wants to date me.” Clint laughed.

"I get a point taken off for having a fake arm."

“Still a ten, babe.” Clint said, slipping his arms around his naked boyfriend.

"Nah, I'm nowhere near a ten. You on the other hand can easily be a 20, especially when you take off all these clothes."

“Lies.” Clint laughed, pulling Bucky into a kiss.

"I beg to differ, I don't lie very often, especially when I talk about my hot wolf boyfriend."

“Woof.” Clint nuzzled into Bucky’s neck a moment then sighed, “We should go pick up anything we need, and I need to go see about new aids, then we should pack.”

"We should get a backpack to hold food. But I want to get you a good pair of aids that will last a while. No idea when we might be able to get back to a life like this, so better to get the best pair we can afford."

“Lets limit ourselves to one bag each. That way we won’t be struggling if we have to carry them in wolf form. One for our personal items, one for things like food.”

“You wanna ditch the duffel bag, then? To make travelling as wolves easier?”

“It should be fine either way we’ll be carrying them in our mouths so I don’t see how a duffle bag would be much different from a backpack.”

Bucky nodded. “So one duffle bag and one backpack. That should be enough storage for getting to the safehouse your friend gave us the address to.”

“Yeah, you wanna split up? You go get supplies while I get my aids? It’ll take me a while to get them so you could get a lot of other stuff done so we can leave sooner.”

“Sure, just tell me what snacks you want so I can get something you’ll actually like.”

“I’ll make a list for you of suggestions. Oh, and condoms if you think we’re gonna be getting super close while traveling.”

“Yeah, sure, don’t wanna make a mess and leave DNA, understandable.”

“Or make a possible baby-puppy that I might have the ability to carry if what I read online is to be trusted.”

Bucky opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it quickly after, looking a bit confused. “Okay, maybe there’s some things that Hydra never filled me in on. You’re telling me you’d be able to get pregnant somehow?”

“Maybe.” Clint said pointedly. “I was trying to see if I can find out more about being an omega and found this conspiracy site about the alpha, beta, and omega genders. And a lot of the stuff it was talking about did match up to what we know already. So there’s at least some truth there. So I read all of the stuff on omegas and it mentioned that omegas, even male ones, can have babies, and...I’d rather not test that theory while we’re on the run from Hydra. Especially if Hydra gets lucky and grabs us—or me—again and find out I have a little tiny wolf-person baby with me.”

The brunet nodded, understanding a certain risk they now had. "Right, condoms are high on the list of things to get, then."

“And hope that all the sex we had before didn’t try to test the theory, while I add the possibility to the list of things I need to come to terms with and see how I feel about it…”

"... Should we get some pregnancy tests just in case?"

“Um….maybe? Would those work for me? I mean, all the pregnancy stuff is kinda based on women’s bodies...I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try one?”

"I'll get one, just to test it out." Bucky nuzzled Clint before getting up and grabbing some clothes. "You want any pizza flavored snacks for the road?"

“You know me so well.” Clint laughed, getting up to grab their stash of savings to add it to what Nat had given him and split it up so each of them would have more than enough for what they needed to pay for. “Okay, we’ll meet back here, pack, and pay for the room as we check out. We’ll just have to curl up in a den tonight. It’ll be safer than staying here if what Nat was saying is true.”

Bucky's wolf got excited to sleep in a den again, and he made an equally excited noise as he smiled. "I can't wait."

“Really? I prefer a bed. You know, a mattress and blankets and fluffy pillows… so nice.”

"Well, yeah a bed is nice, but I mostly got to sleep in dens when Hydra's allowed me to be awake for more than a day."

“I was crammed into a tiny trailer with my brother.” Clint shrugged, “It was so small only one person could stand up and move around at a time. I like having a big bed to sprawl out on.”

"Well, at least as wolves we can fit comfortably in a den. Minus a little room for the bags."

“That is true, plus, fur.”

"We'll be plenty warm tonight." Bucky grabbed his room key and put on his coat, stuffing both key and cash in his pockets. "Alright, I'll meet you back here later. If anything Hydra related happens, turn wolf and run. I'll find you."

“I’m sure you’ll be able to track me.” Clint nodded, making sure he had everything he’d need before following Bucky out, “See you in a bit.”

* * *

Shopping wasn’t something that Bucky could say he enjoyed. Too many people around that he didn’t have any information on, too vulnerable and out in the open to really protect himself if something were to happen. But, at the same time, he didn’t think he had ever shopped faster than that day where he and Clint prepared to leave. And he had enjoyed it, somewhat. Shopping for Clint was different than shopping for himself, definitely more exciting when he was trying to find all the pizza flavored snacks he could that weren't actually pizza, because that wouldn’t keep very well on a long trip through the woods. Not that they couldn’t get a pizza to take to whatever den they found later that night.

In the end, Bucky came back to the motel room with tons of bags and a big enough backpack that could hold all the food he had bought. He decided to set those to the side in favor of just taking in the room one last time, his home ever since he and Clint came across the small town in Canada, of all places. Bucky had to admit that he was going to miss coming home every day to his boyfriend, cook simple meals and watch TV until they fell asleep or decided it was time for a shower. 

When he was done reminiscing, he started packing while waiting for Clint.

Clint took an hour more before he came back, new aids hooked into his ears an eye-catching purple. Sure, it had cost a  _ little _ extra to get a pair in purple rather than the basic tan or brown most came in so that they would be ‘less noticeable’, but purple had been an option and he would not deny his favorite color if he was able to afford them!

He was also carrying his work apron under his arm after having stopped by the flower shop to let Summer know he and Bucky were moving on and to thank her for putting up with him working for her over the past few weeks. She had insisted that he keep his apron, and he figured it wouldn’t add much to the duffel bag, so he accepted it.

“Hey Bucky, I stopped by the front desk to pay our bill for the room and check out. He said we have an hour to grab our stuff before he sends cleaning staff in.” he said, grabbing the duffel bag and starting to pack it full of their clothes and few personal items they had collected. The vase had been cleaned out after the flowers had passed, so he shoved it full of their socks so the space inside it wasn’t wasted.

Bucky turned to look at Clint, smiling. "Hey, your aids look nice."

“Sexy, right? Wow, your voice is sexier than I imagined. Your wolfie voice did not give me a good idea of what your human voice sounds like.”

"Didn't like what my voice sounded like when you were a wolf?" The brunet smirked, turning back to packing.

“That’s not what I meant. Our wolf voices are just...deeper and more animalistic-like. Not quite human—not that it is human. We only understand each other if we are both in wolf form, but you know what I mean.”

"Uh huh, just getting tired of hearing my wolf voice," Bucky teased.

“Never! I just like hearing your human voice for a change! I’m allowed to like both!”

"Well, I'm glad you like both, because you'll be hearing a lot more of both now while we make our escape to the States."

“Hopefully that includes this human voice in sexy ways.” Clint smiled with a wink.

"Only if you want me to talk sexy to you."

“Talk sexy and any natural sounds you make when we fuck. That’s good too.”

“Oh good, I was afraid you didn’t want to hear me groan when I grind up against you.”

“Moan and groan all you want, hotstuff.” Clint laughed as he continued to pack.

“As you wish.” Bucky smirked, reaching out to smack Clint’s ass.

Clint jumped in surprise, but didn’t protest as he simply wiggled his hips teasingly, “You pick up any non-food items we should put in this bag? Like the condoms?”

“Yeah, I got a box and a pregnancy test, whether you wanna take that here or wait. Also I found this.” Bucky grabbed a purple hoodie that he had found while out shopping. “Thought you’d like it.”

“Aww, babe.” Clint smiled walking over to Bucky and slipping his arms around him, “You’re so amazingly sweet.”

“Well, I try to provide for my mate, and it’s cold out, so I got you something warm to wear when we’re not wolves.”

“So sweet, I’ll get a cavity.” Clint laughed, kissing Bucky’s cheek. “I’ll wear this one once we leave.” he said, taking the items over to the bag, packing the condoms and pausing to read the instructions on the box for the test before tucking it away in the bag as well. “I think I should wait a few more days or so on the test. First because it’ll have a more accurate result, and also because if Hydra tracked us here we don’t want to leave a pee stick behind for them to discover.”

He shed his coat and pulled the new purple hoodie on over the shirt he already had on after removing the tags and tossing those in the trash bin. Then he pulled his coat back on and moved to the bathroom to grab their hygiene items.

Once they had everything packed up, Bucky left a tip by the TV for the cleaning service, then he grabbed the backpack and slung it over his shoulders. He looked at Clint and smiled. “All ready?”

Clint glanced around and double-checked their secret hiding place where they’d kept money, ensuring they didn’t forget anything before he nodded, “Yeah, I think we’re good. Let's get out of here before Hydra shows up.” He grabbed the duffel bag and slung the longer strap over his shoulder and across his chest.

Bucky nodded, and out he went, room key in hand as he and Clint headed to the motel office to return their keys. He spoke briefly, thanking the owner for letting them stay as long as they needed, and then they were free to leave the little town they had called home for a brief time.

“So we’re pretty far from the border, but I think we can make some good ground today if we just stick to wolves and find a den. Tomorrow we can catch a bus.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Clint said as they made their way towards the edge of town where they'd find shelter in the trees to safely shift.

“Wanna eat anything before we get going, or you good to start running as soon as we shift?”

“I’d rather eat once we find a place to stay for the night. You know, being further away from the Nazis that are after us would help my appetite.”

“Fair. Eating in the den it is.”

It didn’t take long for the two to get to the edge of the woods and find a spot that was far enough away from buildings that it was safe for them to shift. Bucky shivered against the cold wind once he had stripped out of his clothes, so it didn’t take him long to shift to wolf to be warm once more.

Clint took the time to shove their clothes all in the duffle bag and zip it up after shortening the strap on it before he also shifted, his hearing aids tucked safely inside where they wouldn’t get lost or damaged. They were moving through the woods, so they didn’t put on their collars, figuring that they’d blend in better as wolves in a natural environment, and saving the collars for more populated areas.

Once they were both wolves, Clint picked up the duffel and tested it’s weight before nodding, ready to run off to disappear off Hydra’s radar once again.

For the rest of the day the two ran, pausing only long enough for bathroom breaks or to grab a drink from melting snow or an unfrozen puddle. The backpack was a bit heavy in Bucky’s mouth, but he managed as best as he could, only tripping up a few times before he got back into the running pace. By the time they stopped for the night to start searching for a den, the sky was dark, and snow was starting to look more like slush. Bucky hoped that they could find a warm and dry den, because everything else seemed to be soaked, and shifting back to human after getting muddy as a wolf was not going to be comfortable.

Bucky kept his nose to the ground after setting the backpack somewhere dry that was still within his line of sight. Not that he wouldn’t be able to find it again if he did lose sight of it. It reeked of the pizza snacks he had bought, and pizza was easy to pick out from leaves and snow. Eventually he did find an old den that was dry enough, and he huffed out to Clint to let him know where the den was.

Clint picked the duffle bag back up and hurried over to the den, sniffing it a few times before slipping inside and setting the bag down and waiting for Bucky to join him with the food bag.

Bucky was soon in the den with the food, setting the bag to the side for the moment before nuzzling Clint and flopping down to catch his breath.

‘ _ You okay there, old man? _ ’ Clint teased, rolling over onto his back.

_ 'Very funny, pup.' _ Bucky chuffed and moved to lay on Clint.

Clint squirmed with a doggy-laugh, nipping at Bucky’s scruff as best he could.

Bucky took the invitation to play, nipping and growling as he and Clint let out little tips and barks. The bigger wolf eventually ended up pinning Clint to the ground, tail wagging quickly as he gave the wolf equivalent of a smile.

_ 'We ran for most of the day, I'm gonna be tired for a bit,' _ he argued once their playing was done.

Clint just gave the most smirk-like look before shifting back human under the wolf. “Sure, sure, let's feed you, tired old man.” he said, reaching out to drag the backpack closer to see what they had.

Bucky shifted, hugging himself to keep warm. "Brat. I may be old, but my body isn't. I get around as good as you do."

“Well, I suppose you certainly fuck like a young man.” Clint hummed, sitting up and opening the bag.

"Of course I do, because my body isn't old. I tell you that every time we have this conversation."

“You know I’m just teasing you, right?” Clint asked, pulling out two bottles of water and tossing one to Bucky.

"I know, but you seem to enjoy it so I play along." Bucky smiled before taking a drink of water.

“Good, as long as we’re on the same page with teasing about the fact that you’re old enough to be my grandad, yet here we are, dating and fucking and looking like two gay guys who are about the same age.”

"We're definitely on the same page, don't worry. The whole old man joke amuses me."

“Good.” Clint moved to lean against Bucky as he set out the food he chose for their dinner.

The two ate in mostly silence, munching on pizza flavored snacks as they watched the weather outside of the den. It wasn’t snowing, but the wind was blowing, and every once in a while a particularly cold wind would blow in and chill the two while they ate. 

Once they had eaten their fill, Clint shoved things back into the backpack before shifting and shaking the chill out of his fur. He yawned and curled up, watching Bucky expectedly.

Bucky soon shifted back to wolf, moving over to Clint before flopping down with a huff. He halfheartedly licked the blond’s ear.

Cint shifted even closer, licking under Bucky’s jaw before shoving his nose into his furry neck. It had become a comforting habit to have his nose tucked in where Bucky’s scent was strongest when he was a wolf. It helped him rest and kept him grounded even as all the sounds he couldn’t hear with even his aids in as a human, were amplified as a wolf.

_ ‘Your friend, Nat…’ _ Bucky started hesitantly after they were settled and relaxed.  _ ‘Did she ever tell you anything about her past?’ _

‘ _ Just that she was born in Russia. _ ’ Clint responded, ‘ _ Nothing else ever came up. _ ’

_ ‘Right…’ _ The darker wolf huffed and shifted around a little.

‘ _ Why? _ ’

_ ‘Nothing, just… remembering some more things that sound like your friend.’ _

‘ _ Like what? _ ’

_ ‘A girl named Natalia that I met at some point when I visited Russia for a mission. She was in some sort of program that Hydra wanted me involved in.’ _

‘ _ What? You think my friend is Hydra? _ ’

_ ‘No, she wasn’t Hydra, but what she was part of wasn’t any better than Hydra, from what I remember.’ _

‘ _ But...you sure it’s the same Nat from Russia? My Nat goes by Natasha, not Natalia.’ _

_ ‘Doesn’t mean she couldn’t have changed her name at some point.’ _

_ ‘Really pretty, red hair, green eyes, a case of resting bitch face that tells you she could kill you fifteen ways with just her pinky? _ ’

_ ‘That sounds exactly like the Natalia I knew.’ _

‘ _ Shit...you don’t think she’s still a secret evil Hydra-adjacent person, do you? _ ’

_ 'She didn't seem like the type of person who would follow the wills of an evil group her whole life. I doubt she's bad now, especially after helping us so much. If she was still evil, she'd probably have followed you home and bullied us out.' _

_ ‘We still going to trust her safehouse address she gave me? _ ’ Clint asked.

_ 'As long as there's no guys with guns there when we arrive, yeah we'll trust it.' _

Clint nodded, ‘ _ Okay. Before we head out tomorrow, I’ll take a look so we know which way we’ll want to head. _ ’

_ 'Good idea. Getting lost with Hydra on our tail isn't ideal.' _ Bucky yawned, then shifted closer to Clint.  _ 'Hopefully we can escape them for good… I'm tired of trying to escape only to be caught.' _

‘ _ We’ll figure it out together. Maybe Nat will help. She asked me to call her once we’re state-side. _ ’

_ 'That could be a good sign. I hope she hits us up with a car or something so we don't have to spend more money on a bus.' _

‘ _ Yeah, we just need to find a phone to use. Or buy a burner phone. Or if the circus is near we could sneak into my old trailer and see if my brother still has my stuff. Get my bow back that way. Nat suggested me getting a bow, and I like the one I already have. _ ’

_ ‘I say we try to find the circus then. No sense in buying a new bow when you’ve got one around that you still like.’ _

Clint made a happy sound and nuzzled his face against the other wolf, ‘ _ Okay, we have a plan, then. States, circus, call, safehouse. _ ’

_ 'And hopefully find some food that's better than just snacks at some point.' _

‘ _ I’m sure we will. _ ’ Clint said lazilly, ‘ _ And I’m sure we’ll hunt before then, anyway. _ ’

_ 'That's most likely how we'll get breakfast. We'll see how quickly you can catch a rabbit.' _ Bucky made a laughing sound before nuzzling Clint.

‘ _ Rabbits are too cute! And fast… _ ’

_ 'You gotta be fast to catch them, and I don't think we've really tested how fast you can run as a wolf.' _

_ ‘We’ve raced.’ _ Clint pointed out, ‘ _ I’m not quite as fast as you. _ ’

_ 'Yeah, sure, but it's not the same as chasing a rabbit.' _

‘ _ They’re still too cute. Those long ears, big feet, twitchy nose and fluffy-puff tail... _ ’

_ 'Except for the puff part, all of that describes me in wolf form, you know,' _ Bucky teased.

‘ _ Yeah sure, but you’re more powerful and have the teeth. _ ’

_ 'And fast, and you've never caught me before.' _

‘ _ That is very true, but my human body is more bendy. _ ’

_ 'Damn right it is, mister circus man. I'm convinced you can bend more than you let on.' _

_ ‘Probably. We can test it sometime.’ _

_ ‘I’d love to. Maybe once we’re in that safehouse Nat gave us the address of.’ _

_ ‘Looking forward to it.’ _ Clint said, nuzzling their cheeks together.

* * *

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Crossing the border had been easy. A pair of border patrol officers had spotted them, but didn’t think twice about a pair of wolves. Well, they had stared, as if they didn’t know if they should run or do something about the fact that the wolves each had a bag clamped in their jaws, but they both decided to just shrug it off as two wild animals had stolen bags containing food from some unexpecting campers who hadn’t taken the proper steps to keep their food away from the local wildlife. And with the larger wolf letting out a warning snarl, the two backed away back to their truck.

The pair continued on down into the States, not stopping until they were far enough from the border that they wouldn’t be questioned.

Clint set down his bag and shifted first, digging into the bag for clothes to pull on so they could walk into the town they came across, clean themselves up a bit and see if they could find out where Clint’s old circus troupe was. He also took the pregnancy test while there—negative, thank fuck—and then he discarded it into a public trashbin that was being collected so he knew it wouldn’t be sitting around for Hydra to find had they tracked them faster than expected.

Feeling better, and having a map and a direction to head, the two hopped onto a bus and rode most of the way to the city the circus was currently parked outside of. They went the rest of the way on foot and found an old abandoned shed to stay in. They rested until late in the afternoon before tucking their bags away out of sight, just in case, and making their way to the circus as wolves. They circled around, getting a lay of the tents and staying out of sight of the busy circus.

Clint had insisted the best time for him to slip into his and Barney’s trailer would be when the circus was busy and crowded. There would be far less circus members in the back area where the personal trailers were all parked.

Once they got to where they needed, Clint turned to Bucky, ‘ _ Okay so, plan of attack. I’ll slip in as a wolf, break into the trailer and shift to grab what I need of my stuff. You keep watch and if you see someone approach the trailer, send some sort of signal or cause a distraction or something and I’ll either get out or shift so if I’m caught it just looks like an animal broke in. I’ll even make a mess of things if that’s the case. Sound good? _ ’

Bucky nodded.  _ ‘Be careful, I’d hate to see you get caught by the guys who brought Hydra to you.’ _

‘ _ If I end up in trouble, I know a big scary wolf who’ll scare them off _ .’ Clint said, licking at Bucky’s face before looking around and creeping forward out of their cover in the bushes and making his way to the small trailer he used to call home.

He got there without attracting any notice, and he looked around again before he heaved his weight against the warped door just right that he and his brother both knew would dislodge the lock and latch, allowing the door to swing open. He was glad they had both been too cheap to bother getting it fixed as he hopped up inside, coaxed the door shut, though not latched, and shifted back human.

The trailer was the same. His bed was still there taking up space, though Barney had turned it into a dumping grounds for his stuff. But his stuff  _ was  _ all still there. 

He wasted no time, digging out one of the bow bags and locating his custom purple bow and a quiver of arrows, placing it all in the bag. Then he pried open a loose panel in the wall at the head of his bed and pulled out his life’s savings, his envelope with his important documents for identification, the emergency burner phone he and his brother had gotten, and a small wooden box that contained everything he had left of his mother. He slipped those things into the bag with his bow and looked around, wondering if there was anything else he should take while he had the chance.

Bucky had moved to hide in the shadows of the trailers. Being a black wolf, and having painted his prosthetic arm black as well, served him well to hide at night. Occasionally people would walk by, causing the wolf to be on edge for a bit, but everyone so far had simply passed by, laughing, drinking, or smoking. Bucky was relieved he didn’t have to ward people off. It would have caused unwanted attention to the two wolves.

Once Clint figured he had everything, he made sure the panel was back in place before zipping up the bag and setting it by the door. He shifted back into wolf form and slowly poked his head out the door, looking around before pulling back in and carefully grabbing the bag in his teeth. Then he slipped out of the trailer and streaked across the camp towards the bushes again.

Once Clint was back by his side, Bucky nuzzled the blond briefly.  _ 'No one approached the trailer, just passed by.' _

_ ‘Good. I didn’t want my brother walking in. Don’t think I’m ready to see his face again.’ _ Clint said as he looked back over at the trailer, ‘ _ Come on, let's go back to our dingy little shed and see if my burner phone still has a charge or if we need an outlet to charge it _ .’

Nodding, Bucky took off towards their shed, sticking mostly to shadows like he was trained to do while still under Hydra's control. Even when they were far enough away for the circus lights to not shine on them, he kept to the shadows that the moon created.

Clint followed him, his bag carefully dangling from his jaws until they got back to the shed and he set it down near their other two bags. He shifted, put in his aids, and grabbed a pair of pants, his hoodie, and his coat to pull on before he dug the phone out and tried the power button. It blinked to life and he smiled, “Looks like we can call Nat.”

Bucky chose to stay a wolf to keep warm, settling down next to Clint with an approving huff. Besides, he didn't want to reveal himself if Nat recognized him.

“Staying warm with the fur coat, I see.” Clint huffed as he dug the paper Nat had given him out of his pocket before leaning against the wolf as he dialed in Nat’s number and hit send.

A small, almost inaudible whine came from the wolf as Clint dialed the number.

There were a few rings before Nat picked up on the other end. "Hello?"

“Nat? It’s Clint.” 

"Oh Clint, thank god," Nat sighed in relief. "So you're stateside then? Made it over okay?"

“Yeah, piece of cake. Stopped to pick up a few things and call you, but we should be back on our way to the safehouse or whatever that address is.” Clint unfolded the paper and looked at it, “Why is the address in the middle of New York City?”

"It's the safest place for you right now, hidden in plain sight. If you approach discreetly, no one will suspect you're there."

“We’ve been trying to limit the amount of….population density in our travels.”

"Good, the less people, the better. You've been picking up after yourself as well, right? Covering tracks when you can?"

“Of course. We don’t want to be found by the baddies, you know. Not gonna leave a trail of breadcrumbs.”

"Just making sure you remembered things that I taught you." Nat chuckled. "So where are you right now? Just so I know how much time I have to prepare the safehouse for you two."

“Uh, right near the border between the two Dakotas. On the south side. So plenty of travel ahead of us.”

"Alright, then don't worry about calling me again until you get to the city. Send me text updates, though. I wanna know you guys are still alive."

“I’m trained to successfully achieve death-defying stunts. I’m not gonna die.” Clint smirked, “Might show up with another broken arm or something. You know me.”

“That’d be terrible for travel as a wolf,” Nat responded in an amused tone.

Clint stiffened, "What?"

“You heard me, I told you I know more than you think I know. But really, you don’t need to worry about it. I know you’re safe, so I know you’ve been careful not to hurt yourself.”

"But—how could you know  _ that _ ?"

“How do you think I found you back in Canada? I watch, Clint, it’s part of my job.”

"But...that part?"

“If you’re worried about me being with Hydra, don’t be. I’ve never sided with them, nor will I ever. I hated seeing what they did to you… I hate that I wasn’t able to stop it or even help you escape.”

Clint sucked in a breath, "It's a secret still, right?"

“You’re safe,” Nat reassured. “Just come to New York, and I’ll explain a lot more. It’s easier to explain in person rather than on a phone that could be monitored.”

"Alright, just...don’t tell anyone."

“You know I always keep your secrets, Clint. No matter what, anything you say is safe with me.”

"Okay." Clint sighed, "You know you're scary, right? Why do I trust you?" There was a tone of joke in his voice. 

“Because I’ve bought you pizza far too many times than you were deserving.” Nat was clearly smiling, as was evident by her tone of voice. “Keep out of trouble until you get to New York, okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

"Will you buy me pizza again if I refrain from doing something stupid before I get there?"

“I’ll buy you two pizzas.”

"You see, this is why I love you."

“Well, at least someone fed you right while you were in the circus. Anyway, I have to go now, please be careful, and send me text updates. Don’t forget to call when you get to New York.”

"I won't forget." Clint said before he hung up and looked at Bucky, "Nat knows I'm a wolf."

Bucky chose that moment to shift back to human, grabbing clothes as he spoke. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised that she does. She’s got some serious skills that impressed me back when I first met her.”

"She also probably knows it's you who is with me. If you met before. I knew she knew I wasn't alone back in Canada."

“So both parties know more about each other than they let on. How exciting.” Bucky smiled as he pulled on his shirt.

"We gonna do some night travel tonight?" Clint asked. He had figured that they would sleep curled up as wolves in the shed until morning, but with Bucky getting dressed, he wondered if they would be catching a bus or train instead. 

“I was thinking of finding some real food to eat. Snacks, rabbits, and fish are okay, but a greasy hamburger sounds pretty good to me right now.” The brunet threw on his ball cap and tucked his hair behind his ears. “What do you say?”

"Yeah! Just let me…" Clint scrambled to pull on his shoes and make sure that his clothes were all in place before he hopped up. "Greasy as hell human food, here we come!"

Bucky smiled while ruffling Clint’s hair. “Come on, let’s see how far we can walk before hitching a ride with someone.”

"Should we take our stuff? Just in case we don't feel like going all the way back here and instead find another place for the night."

“Sure, we’ll be hitchhikers for the day.”

Clint grabbed his bow bag and slung it over his back before grabbing the duffel bag. "Let's go hitchhiking then."

Clint and Bucky went off towards the road, walking along while trying to hitch rides with cars that went by. They weren’t as lucky as Bucky had hoped but at least it wasn’t as cold as Canada had been. Plus they were further away from the Hydra base they had escaped from, and the further they got from it, the better the brunet felt.

Hitching rides with cars ultimately didn’t work out, but the two were lucky to come across a bus stop after walking for several hours. It would take them faster to the nearest town and further away from Hydra.

Hopefully.

Once they got to town and found a diner to get a good burger at, they walked in and sat down in a booth Bucky led them to. Clint assumed it was so he could keep an eye out for Hydra, just in case, and it had the best vantage point. Clint sat the two bags he carried down on the inside of the seat, but didn’t sit down yet, “Restroom, I’ll be back hopefully before someone comes to take our order.” he told Bucky before heading towards the door marked as the men’s room.

Bucky nodded, making himself look as non suspicious as possible, just in case Hydra happened to be snooping around. He watched Clint until the blond was gone from his sight.

Hanging from the ceiling in the corner was a TV, tuned into the news. Reporters covering a story as they showed footage of a man decked out in a United States flag-inspired outfit talking to police as another—man? robot?—hurried around in the background helping medical first responders to gather injured citizens and move them towards a line of ambulances.

The TV caught Bucky’s attention. Seeing the man dressed in mostly blue caused the brunet to sit up just a bit, eyes widening. The face of that man was the one in his memories, memories of the scrawny friend he had back before the war. The recognition was enough to get Bucky’s heart beating faster.

A blond head walked past Bucky’s view of the TV as Clint returned, muttering under his breath as he kept a hand in front of his crotch until he sat down again. “Must warn you, the sinks are low and the water pressure high. It spells disaster for your crotch.” he muttered with a huff.

Bucky turned his attention back to Clint, an amused look on his face. “Noted…. But take a look at the TV,” he gestured as he spoke. “The guy in blue, that’s the guy from my memories.”

Clint turned around to look, “Yeah, that’s Captain America alright.” he turned to look back at Bucky, “His face uncover any more lost memories?”

“Maybe… I have a rather unpleasant one of seeing his horrified face get further away as I fall from… something.”

Clint reached across the table to take his hand, “I was hoping more...happy memories. Like going swimming in a nearby creek as kids, or something.”

“Not this time, I guess.” Bucky shrugged, squeezing the blond’s hand.

“Maybe next time, then.” Clint said with a small quirk of a smile.

“Pretty sure I have more good memories of him than bad, so next time will most likely have better memories.”

“Good, I hope so.” Clint glanced back at the TV, but the footage was no longer focused on the hero in stars and stripes.

“You know who that other figure was standing next to Captain America?” Bucky asked as a waiter headed towards their booth.

“Which one? The man’s popular. Crowds gather around him like flies to a circus ground’s trashcan.”

“The one in red and gold armor.”

“On the TV?” the waiter spoke once he was close by. “That’s Iron Man. Billionaire Tony Stark. Some nice eye candy for Captain America’s side.”

“Stark?” Bucky chewed his lip as another memory came to mind. “Well, I guess that makes sense…”

“Yeah, so what can I get you guys today?” The waiter brought up his notepad to jot down the orders.

“Burger! The greasier the better. Side of fries and I’m feeling a shake, chocolate, even though it’s cold out. Maybe a cup of coffee for after.” Clint grinned at the waiter.

“I think I’ll just have the same thing,” Bucky said with a smile. 

“Got it,” the waiter said. “That’ll be out as soon as it’s cooked.”

“Thank you.” Clint said as he left, then turned back to Bucky, “But yeah, he’s right, that was Iron Man. They say his superpower is super brains. Very smart guy. Built the suit he wears as a hero. I heard the first one was built in a desert cave with a handful of paperclips and some scrap metal or something.”

“Impressive…. I knew a Stark once. Knew of him, didn’t really interact much with him, but he helped in the war.”

“Probably Tony’s father, Howard. He’s the one that created Stark Industries and brought the Stark family up from rich to filthy rich.”

"Howard, yeah. Made a flying car prototype. It was pretty impressive, but I guess he never improved on that."

“Yeah, I’ve never seen one.”

"Would have been cool to see. Maybe Tony can work on that."

“Maybe if you ever meet him, you can ask.”

"Maybe. I don't think meeting him is on the list of things to do any time soon, though. Not until Hydra isn't a problem."

“Yeah first we need to go meet up with Nat.” Clint nodded.

Bucky sighed and sank in the booth a little. "I forgot how tiring being on the run can be. I mean I love that I have you with me, but I'm tired of running. I was thinking we would be in Canada a little longer than we were…"

“Yeah...I guess I’m just more used to a life on the road. We stayed in that town a lot longer than the circus ever stayed anywhere. I do miss having a bed to call my own and return to every night, though.”

"Hopefully the safehouse will have a bed for us to share again. After sleeping in that den, I think I'm starting to prefer beds again."

“You know what we could do if we eventually get our own place? Make a den-bed. Like build some sort of den around our bed or something. I donno...is that stupid?”

"A den bed, huh? Well I think it sounds nice. Comfort of the bed with the security of a den."

“Yeah. a nice place for the two of us to curl up and not have to worry about anything.”

"That sounds like pretty much everything I want right now. Other than to just be with you and cuddle you." Bucky smiled and winked.

“After we eat and find a place to stay for the night we can cuddle until morning.”

"I think that's the best idea you've had since we left Canada."

“Well, it’s better than the ‘idea’ of falling through ice that one time. Glad it was just a deep puddle that was only ankle deep and I only suffered cold wet socks. Still sucked.”

“I’ll protect you from stepping in frozen puddles again,” Bucky said with an amused smile. “And I’ll keep you warm so you don’t have to suffer cold socks again.”

Clint laughed, “You going to just start carrying me everywhere so I don’t give myself minor inconveniences?” he teased, tapping their feet together.

“Maybe. I could easily carry you if you’d let me.”

“Might not be so easy when you consider our luggage.” Clint said, fondly patting the bag with his bow in it.

“You’d be surprised at how much I can carry. Got injected with wolf DNA and got stronger through some more modifications.”

Clint shuttered at the thought of having to endure even more of Hydra’s mad scientist bullshit. One was too many, really. “Well, next time I get tired and complain-y, then you’re welcome to try.”

“Deal. I’ll carry you in one arm and the bags in the other.”

“Okay, now you’re just showing off.”

“I mean, isn't’ that what I’m supposed to do? Show off for my boyfriend who I know would love me showing off?”

“Cheeky. I love you.”

Bucky smiled. “Love you too.”

“So…” Clint glanced at the TV again, but the news had moved on to a new story, “You know, the Avengers are all based in New York for the most part. If you wanted to try and see your old friend again, we could look into it. I know we talked about finding the team of heroes anyway to let them know about Hydra, but...”

Bucky nodded. "Yeah… I guess we could drop by for a visit. But I don't know if he'd even remember me. I barely remember him thanks to Hydra."

“I doubt anyone could forget you.” Clint flirted.

"Yeah you never could," the brunet said with a smirk. "I'm too good for you to forget. Take that in any meaning you like."

“Well, my ass will certainly never forget. I don’t think it could ever be satisfied by a knotless cock again.” Clint smirked with a wink.

"Well just don't cheat on me then, and we'll be good." Bucky chuckled.

“Sure, sure, of course, but even dildos have been ruined.”

"I don't know if I should take credit for that."

“Did you guys have dildoes back in the forties? You know what they are right? Fake dicks?”

"Of course we had them. I don't recall us with dicks having anything similar to get us off, though. Just used the good ol' hand."

“I mean, dildos can get a guy off if the guy’s willing to try it up the ass. That’s what I did. And, just so you know, I did not dig that out when I picked up some of my stuff. So if my brother ever starts going through my stuff he’s going to find a surprise.” Clint snorted.

"Fun, I wonder how he'll react to that. Or you know, how he'd react to some of your stuff being gone."

“Oh yeah, he might think Buck might have taken my bow at first. Buck’s the guy who taught us archery in the first place after Jacques decided to train us to help out in more ways than just cleaning animal cages and stuff. But if he looks in the secret place where we keep our small valuables, money, and important papers...he’s going to know something’s up when all my stuff is gone from that.”

"Good thing we'll keep getting further and further away from him. He won't catch us."

“Barney wouldn’t even know where to start looking for me, or where the circus was when I took my things, so if they tell Hydra I had come by, they wouldn’t have much information that’s useful.”

"Exactly, so we're doing great right now. We keep this up and we might just make it to New York without any problems."

“Here’s hoping.” Clint agreed before his gaze flickered over to the side and he smiled, “Oh that burger looks fantastic. If I had a tail, it’d be wagging.”

The waiter laughed as he set down the two plates of burgers and fries. "They're the most popular menu item. I'll be back with your drinks real quick."

"Be careful what you wish for," Bucky said with a smirk. "You might just end up with a wagging tail."

“Not in public like this.” Clint shrugged, “I have more control than that.”

"You never know. Your wolf could get  _ very _ excited one day."

“He behaves enough even when we’re fucking.” Clint pointed out.

"You haven't seen a rabbit while on a stealth mission. The wolf goes nuts sometimes."

“You ever abandoned a mission to go chasing Little Bunny Foo-foo?”

"Did once. Hydra had their collar on me though, so I didn't abandon the mission for more than five seconds."

Clint flinched, “I prefer non-painful collars…”

"Me too. Shock collars hurt when they're meant to keep you on track and focused on the mission."

“Those guys really are assholes.” Clint sighed, shoving a few fries in his mouth.

“That’s why I escaped. Lucky you were there to escape with me before they did anything worse to you.”

“I’m lucky I was there when I was so I could escape with you.” Clint said around his mouthful of food.

“Honestly I really think you helped the escape go easier. I would have had to fight a lot more guys just to be able to get out.”

“Glad I could help. I just remember hoping I wouldn’t trip over my four paws, seeing as I was not used to that form at all yet, and still very confused and low key freaking out.”

“You did great for your first day as a wolf. Now look at you, you’re practically a professional.”

“Pro wolf, that’s me. Woof.” Clint winked.

Bucky laughed while taking a bite of his burger, the waiter coming back with their drinks.

“Sorry about that wait,” he apologized while setting down the drinks. “Let me know if you two need anything else.”

“Thanks,” the brunet said with a nod, watching the waiter leave them once more.

“So tonight,” Clint said after taking a sip of his shake, “We going to hole up somewhere free or grab a cheap motel room? I did grab my life’s savings so we do have more money than what we had before.”

“I’d say we play it safe tonight and find a den. Especially if your brother discovers the missing things sooner rather than later,” Bucky replied.

Clint nodded, “Alright, free hole it is.”

Tomorrow we can get a bed again. I figure if we keep taking buses, we can get to New York in a few days.”

Clint nodded, “It’ll be good to shower and not smell like two dudes that sleep in a hole in the ground with dogs when we’re on a bus with civilized people. Plus we can enjoy each other’s bodies a little more easily on a bed.”

“You just wanna get me naked again for something that isn’t shifting.”

“Can you blame me? We made sure to get stuff for some fun but then spent so much time out in dens where it was too cold to be in our human forms without clothes on. My wolf’s a horney teenager. You know this.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you haven’t tried to start anything as wolves yet.”

“Human me isn’t sure about that idea.” Clint admitted, “And I have been human my whole life. This wolf thing is very new.”

“I know. It’s odd to think about, but I’ve been around for a while, and… well you make do when you’re a wolf.”

Clint made a face, “Have you fucked an actual wolf because, uh...that's awkward, not gonna lie. I wouldn’t do that.”

“No, god. I meant I just humped the shit out of stuff.”

“Ah, that’s better then.”

“I may be able to turn into a wolf, but I’ve still got a human mind for the most part. Besides, I’m not really the ideal wolf. I’ve got a metal arm. Leg.”

“Sure, but I like that arm-leg. I don’t see any issues with it versus a natural one.”

“Sure, you don’t because prosthetics are things that humans have all the time. Natural wolves don’t have those.”

“My wolf has no issue with it, either.” Clint shrugged.

“Well… at least there’s one wolf who isn’t bothered by my metal leg. Arm. Whatever.”

“Babe,” Clint tried a new pet name as he reached to take Bucky’s metal hand in his own, “I love every bit of you. Your prosthetic is just another detail to love. And it’s not like I’m without my own specialized device.” He gestured to his ears, “It took me some time to get used to the knowledge that my hearing isn’t like other people’s, and I want you to know that I judge you for your arm no more than I would judge myself for my aids.”

Bucky squeezed Clint’s hand, sighing. “I know… I used to think that it was better to forget everything and just feel like a machine when I worked for Hydra. You forget how hard it is to cope sometimes.”

Clint lifted Bucky’s hand, pressing a kiss to the black metal plates, “You’re not alone anymore.”

“Thank god.” Bucky smiled. “And I think I got the best partner I could have hoped for, so it’s a win-win situation for me.”

“Me too.” Clint kissed the metal hand again before letting go of it so they could continue eating. 

Bucky and Clint finished their meals with a few side comments here and there about wolves, the circus, life before Hydra. It was simple conversation to pass the time, and when they were ready to leave, the chatting stopped completely for the most part. They were focused on hitching another ride on a bus or in a car, hoping they didn’t stink too bad for others to find it unpleasant. 

They found a place to sleep as wolves and snuggled in close for the night before waking up early to catch the first bus on their way towards New York.

* * *

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

“You know, I’ve never been to New York.” Clint said as they stepped off the final bus on their route across the country and looked around at the crowded streets, “Should we explore a little bit before I call Nat?”

Bucky looked skeptical. "If we can even get through some of those crowds… But I guess we don't have to call yet."

“It’s an actual question, Bucky, not me hinting that I want to. I just know I’ll want food soon and we don’t know Nat’s plans. She told us to call her when we get here but I’m not sure if thats so she’ll be expecting us to show up at the safehouse soon or if she plans to come get us, and if it’s the first, it may take us a bit to find our way around so food might be good, and—I don’t know.”

"Food does sound good. Let's do that and try to figure out where the safehouse is. Surely there's a place you can buy a map around here."

“No need, we have my phone, and if I can put it on the charger while we eat, it should have the battery needed for both a call and bringing up the GPS. I only didn’t use it on our travels because we needed to save the battery. Really, I should charge my aids again, too.”

"Oh. Well, no need to spend our money on a map then. More money for food." Bucky smiled and grabbed Clint's hand, leading him into the crowds to follow the many scents of food.

The couple found a place that promised food without much of a wait, and they found a table near an outlet where Clint pulled out the chargers for both his phone and his aids, plugging them in to get the best charge possible before they had to leave again. Having his aids out limited their conversation, simply because he kept finding himself distracted by things rather than paying attention to lip reading and Bucky’s still limited sign, though they did manage some chatting.

Once they finished eating and paid their bill, Clint tucked the chargers back in a bag, put his aids back in, and kept the phone in hand as they walked out and he dialed Nat’s number.

Nat picked up after the second ring, this time skipping the typical greeting one would give when answering a call. "Hey Clint, I'm assuming you're in New York?"

“Yup. Made it safe and sound. Grabbed a bite to eat while charging my phone and aids. What’s next? We head to the address you gave us or you want to come get us or?”

"Head to Time Square and meet me in front of the Old Navy. We'll walk from there."

“Alright, got it. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Clint said before hanging up and opening the GPS, “We’re meeting her in Times Square.” he informed Bucky, “It’s quite a walk from here...want to get a cab?”

"Sure. Hopefully traffic here isn't as bar as I remember it being… though Times Square had always been pretty bad."

“We can have the driver just take us to the edge of Times Square and we can walk the rest of the way so we won't have to worry about that traffic at least.” Clint suggested, tucking the phone away in his pocket before nodding over to where a few taxis were parked, waiting for passengers. “And it looks like we don’t have to hail a cab like some country boy who’s never hailed a cab in his life.” he smirked.

"Yeah, you probably couldn't hail a cab properly," Bucky teased with a smirk.

Clint chuckled, “Think you could, forties-boy?” he teased as they approached one of the cabs and he paused by the back door of it. Was he supposed to just open the door and get in like it’s shown in movies? Or was that only a movie thing? Should he try getting the driver’s okay first?

Bucky smirked more and walked up to the driver of the taxi, who had their window down. "Hi, we need to get to Times Square." 

The driver nodded and invited the two into his car. Bucky gave him a street to stop at before the ride began.

Clint Sighed, adjusting his bow bag on his lap before leaning against Bucky, “It’ll be nice to be able to relax again without worrying about traveling, hu?”

The brunet nodded. "I'm ready to settle down again. Working at that car shop was relaxing."

“The flower shop always smelled nice.” Clint agreed, “It was calming.”

"Never thought I'd ever miss Canada." Bucky sighed.

“We’ll find a new place to settle down, and for now we have Nat helping us out.”

"Maybe I can get a mechanics job here in New York. Plenty of cars going around all the time, I'm sure they break down often enough to make a good living."

“We’ll find something. Can’t be too hard to find some work. I have my aids now so that will help me in not being turned away for being deaf.”

Bucky nodded, wrapping an arm around Clint. "Hopefully we can live normal lives here. No unwanted attention, just be happy and live life."

“That’s the dream right there. Just us two finally getting to settle down and live our lives the way we want...and a dog. I still want a dog.”

"Of course you do." Bucky chuckled, ruffling Clint's hair. "Well maybe we'll look into a place that allows pets."

“I love you, you’re the best.” Clint practically purred.

Finally, the driver pulled to the side of the road and gave them a price. Clint dug into one of their wads of cash and counted it out before handing it over and grabbing the two bags he usually carried.

Bucky thanked the driver while grabbing his bag, and once they had everything, the driver left.

"Alright, where exactly did Nat want us to meet her?" He asked, looking around.

“Outside Old Navy.” Clint said, pulling his phone out again and looking up the store in question. Once located he set it for walking directions and nodded, “Come on, it’s not too far from here.”

Moving through the crowds was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but the two were soon standing in front of the store they were directed to. Bucky kept his eyes moving in case Hydra was sneaking around in the crowds, letting Clint look out for Nat.

Clint stood close to Bucky, sandwiching their three bags between them so that they’d be a harder target for people to try and nab, should any unsavory-intended people be around. Finally, he caught a flash of familiar red hair and he raised a hand in the air, “Hey Nat!” he called out to grab her attention. She looked over at him and sighed before slipping through the crowd with ease that should have been impossible in Clint’s opinion. “Look! I made it without any broken bones!”

“You did,” the redhead replied. “I guess I owe you some pizza.” 

Looking over at Bucky, Nat shared a knowing gaze with the brunet. “I figured you were the one who was travelling with Clint. Never got close enough to tell for sure…”

“Hi, Nat,” Bucky said in a tone that was soft but painful.

“Well, come on then,” Nat said while gesturing north. “We’ve got some time before we reach the safehouse. If you’ve got any questions, now is the time to ask.”

“Alright,” Clint leaned in closer to her, lowering his voice so he wouldn’t be overheard, “Is your real name James Bond?” he asked with a grin.

Nat smiled. “No, but if you’re asking me if I’m some sort of spy, you’d be somewhat correct. I’m surprised your companion hasn’t mentioned that.”

“I only mentioned briefly that I knew you from our past,” Bucky said.

“We’ve been calling my companion ‘Bucky’.” Clint said, realizing that Nat probably didn’t have a name for him when Bucky himself hadn’t even had memory of his name. “And I’m sorry, but I don’t think you can walk into the room without me playing the James Bond theme in my head. You’re totally the real double-oh-seven now.”

“Well I do go by a codename sometimes, and I’m sure you’re familiar with it already, Clint.” Nat looked at Bucky. “I’m surprised you managed to pick a name that you’ve already gone by. You’ve seen Captain America recently, right?”

Bucky nodded stiffly.

“Yeah, he talks about you all the time,” Nat said. “Uses that name too.”

“See? Told you no one could forget you.” Clint grinned at his boyfriend, “Though the name thing is surprising. Maybe you do have some memory of that name without realizing it. I just thought it was because you had just taken down a deer.”

“I thought it was that too… I guess Bucky is a name I go by anyways.” The brunet shrugged. “That’s good to know, I guess.”

“You’re real name is James,” Nat spoke up. “I won’t say the rest because we’re out in the open here, but hopefully that helps refresh any memories you have.”

Bucky blinked, remembering when he was enlisting for the army back during the war. He remembered his full name that he had to write down. James Buchanan Barnes. His friends called him Bucky as a shortened version of his middle name. “Yeah… that helped.”

Clint reached over to take Bucky’s hand, “Still want to go by Bucky?”

Bucky nodded. “For now, yeah.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t be meeting anyone for a few days, so you guys have time to settle in,” Nat tried to reassure. “I’ve got some people who want to talk to you two, but I’m not letting them get close until you guys feel comfortable.”

“We are looking forward to relaxing again with only the minimal looking over the shoulder stuff.” Clint said, looking up at the tall buildings. He could see the famous Avengers Tower standing proud and modern above them.

“Good, you’ll at least have the minimal looking over your shoulder. Relaxing depends on how rowdy the safehouse gets, and trust me, it can get rowdy. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure it wont be for a while.”

“There’s other people there?” Clint asked.

“Yeah, but they live on different floors. Don’t worry, they’re all safe.”

“None of them work for you know who?” Bucky asked, getting a bit tense.

“None,” Nat confirmed.

“More James Bonds?” Clint asked.

“Nah, I’m the only James Bond,” Nat said with an amused smile. She turned onto a sidewalk that was taking them directly to Avengers Tower. “We just have a genius billionaire, a super soldier, a handsome soldier, a scientist who literally turns mad, a god, and occasionally some agents that like to think they’re James Bonds, but they’re really not.”

“Wait—wait!” Clint stopped walking, looking between Nat and the doors to Avengers Tower with wide eyes, “You—wait, this is the—You’re talking about the...hngh!” he pointed up at the giant letters high above them.

Sure, Nat had said that Captain America talked about Bucky a lot, but he’d thought she had meant in interviews. But now she was implying that she knew the man, the  _ legend _ , personally as she led them into what he was sure was a building with restricted access. Former circus performers  _ didn’t  _ just walk into Avengers Tower.

“Glad to see you’re finally catching on,” Nat said in an amused tone. “Welcome to your safehouse, Avengers Tower.”

Bucky glanced around as he followed Nat inside, then he looked back at Clint, wondering what kinds of thoughts were going through the blond’s mind.

Clint stood there, mouth hanging open like a fish, still having not moved. Nat sighed and went back outside to grab his arm and pull him into the rich lobby. Frankly, it looked more like the entrance to a modern palace. There was a desk where employees would sign in guests and direct them where they needed to go and security guards posted all over the place. Security guards who were all eyeing up the two hobos off the street. At least, Clint felt like a hobo. He and Bucky were in second hand clothes that needed a good wash days ago, and carrying everything they owned with them in three bags between them while everyone else supported expensive suits. 

It was clear the only reason the guards were not advancing on them was because they were with Nat in her fancy coat, boots, and some sort of ID card that she pulled out to be scanned by a panel next to the fanciest elevator that was separated from the public elevators they had passed by already.

The golden doors opened without a wait or that classic ding most elevators made in Clint’s experience, and Nat stepped on, pulling Clint with her and waiting for Bucky to step in before she let the doors slide shut.

“Take us up to my floor if you will, J.” She said, and Clint noted that there were no button panels on the wall.

“Of course, Agent Romanov.” a British-sounding voice responded before the elevator began a gentle but fast assent. 

Everything seemed to be moving so fast around Clint and finally all he could say was, “What the fuck…”

Bucky tried to relax as they rode up the elevator for a while. It was clear that Nat lived with all the people she had described, and apart from the super soldier description, who was clearly Captain America, he didn’t know any of the others, and he wasn’t sure he’d trust her word just because they knew each other some years back. Still, if she said they wouldn’t be bothered until she said so, Bucky guessed he could trust that. Otherwise, why would she be helping? She knew Bucky, both from their past and from talking to Captain America. If she was helping the super soldier, who Bucky remembered as hating Hydra, then Nat could at least be trusted to keep them safe with her.

The doors of the elevator opened up to a floor that very clearly had evidence of Nat living there. It looked well lived in, though it was mostly spotless from any messes or trash. 

Bucky felt very out of place in his second hand clothes from Canada.

“Welcome to your home until a more permanent place is ready for you two.” Nat announced while shedding her coat. “I’ve got a spare bedroom set up for you two with some extra clothes and new sheets and blankets. Feel free to rearrange it however you feel.”

“Uh, thanks…” Clint said, slowly wandering around the front room, looking at the way she decorated it and—oh.

He blinked at a familiar symbol on some sort of device he didn’t know what it was for. “You’re the Black Widow.” he realized out loud.

“No, I’m James Bond, remember?” Nat smiled as she moved over to her kitchenette, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water.

“I can’t believe I’ve been friends with a fucking Avenger and never knew it!” Clint gasped, “I knew you were cool, but I didn’t know you were superhero-cool!”

“Well now you do, so don’t go bragging that you have an Avenger as a friend.”

Bucky turned away from the conversation in favor of sniffing out the room that Nat had set up for them. He was oddly relieved to find that there were no cameras in the room, nothing suspicious looking except for maybe the absurd amount of purple that existed in the room. (though maybe that was just evidence to how well Natasha knew Clint.) Nevertheless, Bucky liked it, and he set down the bag he had been carrying on the bed. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to shift to wolf and just live with the simpler emotions of a wolf. He was, afterall, still a bit tense from travelling around crowds in New York City.

Nat broke away from the conversation she was having with Clint to notice that Bucky had disappeared from the living room. “Looks like Bucky went to find your room. It’s down that hallway and through the second to last door, if you’d like to go set your things down, clean up and change into cleaner clothes.”

“Ah, yeah, okay, sorry, today’s been….a lot.” he said, picking his bags back up, “Thanks for helping us out, it’s nice not being out on our own with Hydra after us.” he said before going to find Bucky and their room.

When Clint entered the room, he was greeted with Bucky as a wolf, curled up as close as he could be against the pillows on the bed and eyes staring into the distance. He moved his eyes briefly when Clint entered, but he was quick to look away again.

“You okay?” Clint asked, setting the bags down and sitting on the bed so he could reach over and run his fingers through Bucky’s fur on his head.

Bucky whined, shoving his nose into Clint’s hand. It wasn’t that he was relieved that he was safe again, but they were in the middle of a busy city. Lots of people around that could possibly be Hydra agents. Too many people, not enough places to hide, in Bucky’s opinion. 

Clint sighed and stepped back, peeling off his layers and tossing his clothes over into the hamper that was set up for their dirty laundry, which, yeah, all their stuff needed a good wash at this point. He kicked off his boots, set his aids on the side table, and finally shifted before hopping back up onto the bed to curl up next to Bucky, licking at his face.

‘ _ You know we don’t have to go see anyone else in the tower for a while, right? We have time to adjust. _ ’

_ ‘I know, but we’re really out in the open. Not that I don’t trust Nat… I also remembered a bunch of things when she said my real name.’ _

‘ _ We’re like, a thousand stories up _ . Clint said, nodding towards the window, ‘ _ in a building that has probably the most advanced security in the world. And this room, this room is ours while we stay here. Just ours. I’m sure even Nat wouldn’t come in here unless we invite her to. It’s just you and me right now. Come on, get your nose tucked in here. _ ’ he soothed, trying to coax Bucky’s nose into the scruff of his neck where his scent was strongest.

Huffing, Bucky shoved his nose deep into Clint’s fur, letting out a relaxed sigh as he closed his eyes.  _ ‘I hate being this paranoid so often. I almost put my collar on out of habit, thinking Hydra was going to get me sooner or later.’ _

‘ _ I won’t let them. _ ’ Clint said as he nuzzled his boyfriend in comfort, ‘ _ You know I won’t. And I have my bow now. I’ll pump the bad guys full of arrows if they try. _ ’

_ ‘My hero.’ _ Bucky simply breathed for a few minutes, letting himself relax before opening his eyes again and lifting his head to look around.  _ ‘There’s a lot of purple in here. It’s like Nat knows what your favorite color is.’ _

‘ _ Well, do you think you could have gotten away with knowing me for any amount of time without knowing my favorite color? _ ’ Clint teased. ‘ _ I’m more surprised there’s only one bed, which implies she knows we’re more than just friends. _ ’

_ ‘If she’s been watching us, then she absolutely knows we’re more than just friends.’  _ Bucky chuffed in an amused tone.

‘ _ Are we that obvious? _ ’ Clint asked in an amused chuckle-like sound.

_ ‘I mean we were holding hands all the way here. And she’s a spy, so I highly doubt she missed that.’ _

‘ _ She would have had to find out before we got here in order to set this room up for us. _ ’ Clint said, ‘ _ And there’s only one bed. She’s practically screaming we can have some fun together in here. _ ’

_ ‘She’s welcoming it, I’m not holding back.’ _ The larger wolf jumped to his feet with a playful growl.

Clint gave a wolfish laugh, glad that Bucky’s mood seemed better again, ‘ _ What do you say to us breaking in this bed before we get some rest and then wash up and unpack a bit? _ ’

Bucky barked, tail wagging excitedly as he dropped his lower body in a position that made him ready to pounce.

‘ _ Okay, we can do some wolfie play, too. _ ’ Clint said, pouncing at Bucky, ignoring that the backpack bounced off the bed and onto the floor.

The excitement level that Bucky experienced skyrocketed, improving his mood tremendously as he wrestled with Clint. The sheets and blankets on the bed soon were wrinkled up, the two wolves not bringing themselves to care as they played. At one point, Clint had quite literally shoved Bucky off the bed, the dark wolf falling off with a thud. When he got up from the floor, he was human, his eyes wide and a smile on his lips as he looked at Clint.

Clint made a smug and amused sound, wiggling as he hopped back towards the foot of the bed while shifting. He leaned on his hands and knees as a human, his feet dangling off the end of the bed.

Without much warning Bucky pulled the blond into a kiss, a slight nip indicating that his teeth were still a bit sharp and wolf like.

“Oh, getting excited are we, alpha-boy?” Clint teased into his lips as he slid his hand down to brush his fingers over Bucky’s balls and cock in a teasing caress.

"We've got a bed again, and you got me riled up. I'm very excited right now." Bucky smirked while leaning into Clint's touch.

“Fantastic; remember which bag the condoms got shoved in?”

Bucky didn't answer, he just went straight for the bag and rummaged through it until he found the condoms. The box was tossed on the bed before he went in for another kiss.

Clint hummed, deepening the kiss and pulling them down onto the pillows with one hand looped around Bucky’s neck and the other groping around for the box to shake a condom out.

Bucky was already rubbing up against Clint while they kissed, actually letting out a small possessive growl at one point.

The blond shivered as he felt the vibrations in Bucky’s chest, “Aids! I want them in this time!” he gasped out, wanting to actually hear the sounds his boyfriend made.

Bucky grunted and pulled away long enough to grab Clint's aids. He handed them to the blond, then grabbed a condom. The box and other loose condoms were tossed into the night stand once it wasn't needed any longer.

Clint put his aids in and switched them on before reaching down between his legs to slip a finger into himself. “Fuck, I’m already super wet…” he admitted, unsurprised but playing it off as a surprise anyway.

Bucky made a pleased sound. "Perfect. Love how wet you get for me." He growled again while opening the condom and putting it on.

“I’m kinda digging the fact we don’t have to worry about lube. One less step.” Clint said as he worked his fingers inside him to loosen himself up enough for Bucky, “Like it more and more every time we do this.”

"It does make things go faster." The brunet wiped his fingers around Clint's hole, using the natural lubricant to slick up his own cock after the condom was on.

“Knees or back?” Clint asked, watching how Bucky’s hand moved over and along his long, thick cock.

"Back. I wanna watch you. You make nice faces when I fuck you."

“Yes sir.” Clint smirked, taking his fingers out and shifting into a more comfortable position on his back, parting his legs, knees bent in the air so he could push his hips up a little.

Bucky was between Clint's legs in seconds, his hands working to feed everything lined up correctly before he slowly pushed into the blond. Clearly he didn't want to wait any longer.

Clint moaned out, his eyes fluttering shut as he felt himself being filled, waiting until Bucky was fully inside him before opening his eyes again “Yup,” he gasped out, cheeks flushing with arousal, “Still feels great.”

"I would hope it still felt good. I know we haven't done this much, but I'd like to think I still perform well."

“Just glad I wasn’t remembering wrong and overhyping you in my mind.”

“How in the world could you overhype me when you’re as hot as you are?” Bucky smirked, not waiting for an answer before he pulled his hips back and slammed them into Clint’s.

"Ch _ ohhh _ -ch-cheater." Clint cried out. 

“I’m not cheating,” Bucky insisted, thrusting again.

"Cheater!" Clint gasped out again. His body was, in fact, ready, but that didn't mean he was mentally prepared for Bucky to start moving in long hard thrusts so soon. They had been flirting still. 

Bucky paused, looking down at Clint with curious eyes. “You just calling that because I took less time to get inside you?”

"No...you started moving when I thought we were still flirty-talking before the moving. Surprised me, cheater." Clint shrugged with his flirtingly teasing tone again. 

“Well, forgive me for going too fast,” Bucky said apologetically with a smile. He leaned forward and gave Clint a small kiss. “I should have asked if you were ready.”

"I'm teasing you, silly."

“Punk.” Bucky chuckled, going slower with his next thrust.

Clint moaned, "Did that word even exist back in your day?"

“Of course it did, I called Stevie that all the time.” Once again Bucky paused, and he sighed. “Well, not the best time to remember my friend’s name. That just confirms that I was absolutely friends with Captain America, though.”

"Well, it's not Steve's ass you're balls deep in right now." Clint smirked, hooking a leg around Bucky's waist as he pulled them tighter together, and forcing Bucky in deeper. "Therefore, not a punk."

“I could go back to calling you a pup, you know,” the brunet responded while giving Clint little thrusts, just enough action to get some sort of stimulation.

"Neither of those are sexy sex pet names, darling-dear."

“What would you want me to call you? Sugar? Baby doll?”

Clint flushed, "Is it strange that I like the doll one?"

“Not at all. That’s slang from my time. I can easily cally you doll or baby doll, whichever you like better.”

"I like both." Clint admitted softly. "You don't hear those pet names these days."

You got it, doll." Bucky smiled, bending down to kiss Clint's forehead.

Clint flushed deeper and made a tiny squeaking sound. Yeah, he definitely liked his boyfriend calling him ‘doll’. “Which pet names do you like me calling you?” he asked. He’d tried out a good handful since they had gotten together.

"Babe is nice, though alpha has to be the one my wolf likes the most. Not that you should call me that in public. People don't know what that means."

Clint snorted out a laugh, which made himself squeeze Bucky briefly, causing them both to moan, “Isn’t the fact that people don’t know what that term means for  _ us _ initiative to use it in public? It’d make us mysterious.”

"It'd make us sound like a kinky couple who can't leave things in the bedroom."

Clint rolled his eyes, “Alpha’s a noun in the dictionary; the first definition is that it’s the first letter of the greek alphabet. It’s also used in college fraternity and sorority houses. It’s also used as a term for leader, I guess... What are the chances anyone would think it’s related to how we fuck each other?”

"If you directly call me alpha of course." Bucky smirked.

“I think you only think they’ll know because you  _ do _ know, alpha.” Clint smirked.

"Oh yeah? Then I dare you to call me alpha when we're in public."

“If you think I’m too chickenshit to try, then you don’t know me enough.” Clint smirked wider, not an ounce of shame in his entire being.

"I think you'll get too flustered once I start flirting with you for you to call me alpha." Bucky smirked back, making one particular thrust harder than the others.

Cint gasped out a moan, his fingers curling to grip at Bucky’s hips, “We’ll just see about that, alpha.”

“I can take a challenge, my whole life used to be about overcoming challenges.”

“This isn’t like normal challenges.”

“It’s still a challenge, and I’m willing to beat it. I never lose a challenge.” Bucky moved his hands to grab Clint’s shoulders, shifting his angle slightly.

Clint’s breath hitched, and it took him a moment to respond again, “All I’d have to do is call you alpha while in public with you trying to get me flustered, and you’ll fail. I think I have the easier job here.”

“I’d have to give you a reason to call me alpha in the first place, and you can’t call me alpha until I give you that reason. So it’d be at any random moment that you weren’t expecting. Still think you could win even when you’re not expecting me to get you flustered?”

“You  _ are _ my alpha, I don’t need any other reason to call you such.” Clint shrugged.

“Then it’s not a challenge if we define reason like that.” Bucky smirked. “Man I sure picked someone who talks back a lot to be my boyfriend.”

“Oh, did you want someone shy?” Clint teased.

“I don’t think I could have handled anyone shy. The only time I saw you as being a slight bit shy was when we first met. You definitely curled into as much of a ball as you could when I approached you.”

“I’d say I was scared, confused, and intimidated, not shy. Didn’t help that the lab coat lady was acting like you could have just ripped me to pieces when she was trying to get me to walk around before you were brought in.”

“Hated every last one of those people. If I didn’t have my life threatened all the time, I would have ripped them to pieces like they thought I might do to you.” Bucky laughed. “Can’t believe they were worried that I was going to rip you to shreds. They clearly don’t know an attractive blond when they see one.”

“Well, maybe furry blond wolves aren’t their type.” Clint smirked.

“Thank god they’re mine.” Laughing more, Bucky shifted once more, grabbing Clint’s legs and putting them on his shoulders. He gave the blond a little kiss on the inside of his thigh while maintaining eye contact.

“Good thing they didn’t change me into prey.” Clint snorted, “You already eat me up as it is.”

Bucky let out a nice and loud laugh, eyes squeezed shut. “Damn right I do. I love leaving marks on you. They look good on your skin.”

“That they do. Oh and look, they’ve all pretty much faded. We should fix that tonight.” the blond grinned.

“Could fix it right now though. We’re in a perfectly good position to do so.” Bucky teased by nipping Clint’s shoulder, still keeping an even thrusting pace that allowed them to talk easier.

“Mmm, I suppose I could be persuaded to allow it sooner.”

“What would it take, doll?”

“A kiss.” Clint smirked, tapping his lips.”

“That’s all? Nothing special, like me fucking you while having a normal conversation?”

“Oh, do I need to be higher maintenance? Then we’ll  _ start _ with the kiss.”

“Well I’m just saying, you’re a brat sometimes, I was surprised you only wanted a simple kiss.” Bucky smirked while leaning forward, forcing Clint to bend quite a bit before the kiss was given. Thankfully Clint was used to being flexible.

“Maybe the kiss is just a way to get you to test my bendiness.” Clint smirked.

“I can keep you here until you cum for me. I mark up your neck as much as I can while we apparently continue to have such a civil conversation for sex.”

Clint laughed, wrapping his arms around Bucky, “Gosh, I love you.”

“I love you too, Clint.” Bucky smiled, kissing the blond again. “Love you more than any other person in the entire world.”

“I love you more than pizza and dogs combined.” Clint admitted softly.

“That’s the most meaningful way anyone has ever said they loved me.” Bucky chuckled lightly. “Not that I’ve had anyone else say they loved me as much as you’ve told me.”

“To be fair, I’ve never had anyone I’ve loved this much, either.”

“Summer flings and one night stands just never held any promise of how much I actually love you. I couldn’t go back to that if I were given the choice.” Bucky kissed Clint again. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave you.”

“Same...the past guys can’t compare.” Clint whispered, pulling Bucky down into a longer, deeper kiss.

The brunet groaned into the kiss, feeling a swell of emotions build up inside him as he realized just how much he actually loved Clint. Living with him since escaping Hydra had been the most fun he'd had for a while, and he never wanted to leave the blond's side. It was far too early for a marriage proposal though, no matter how bad Bucky wanted to pop that question. It was just a heat of the moment thing. And besides, his wolf would be satisfied with simply marking Clint permanently and rubbing his scent all over the blond.

Letting out a low whine, Bucky pulled back and moved his hips a little faster.

“Yes, okay, yup!” Clint squeaked, feeling that they were done chatting while softly enjoying the sensations of being joined together and that it was time to chase their climaxes together.

Basically getting the go ahead, Bucky growled and sped up to a much faster pace, gripping the sheets underneath himself to keep steady.

Clint cried out, unable to move at all to help out as he was still bent completely in half, giving him no leverage to change anything about their position. 

Thankfully after a few thrusts, Bucky slowed and paused to let Clint's legs fall from his shoulders. He shifted back a little so the blond wouldn't be so bent, but he was right back to thrusting once in the more comfortable position.

Clint moaned, wrapping himself around Bucky and pushing his hips up into the thrusts as he began to kiss along Bucky’s neck and jawline.

The brunet tilted his head slightly so Clint had more room to kiss, brushing his hair to the side and letting out a pleased sound. Most of the noises he made had a sort of animalistic undertone to them, so he sounded more wolfish as he fucked Clint.

Clint’s kisses trailed up to Bucky’s ear and his teeth gave his earlobe a playful tug, “Close.” he gasped, “So close—you said you’d mark me back up before I cum…”

Bucky smirked and moved his head so his mouth could reach Clint's neck. He bit down a little hard, but he sucked until a dark mark made itself known on the pale skin. Bucky's wolf, however, wanted to stay there and bite more, so he bit down until he could taste blood, growling slightly while quickly approaching his climax.

Clint felt the sting of teeth, slightly too sharp to be human, and a small pop of something in his neck, and though his eyes widened and a gasp escaped him, his wolf kept him calm and  _ pleased _ , even as his body stopped responding, going limp under Bucky and the orgasm he’d been chasing hit him hard with a rush of wetness, even before he felt Bucky’s knot starting to make itself known and catch on his rim.

Bucky thrusted until he was locked inside Clint, tugging a little to get the stimulation he needed to finally cum with a loud groan. His jaw remained locked as he rode out his orgasm.

Laying under him, Clint remained still, breathing heavily as he waited for the world to come back into focus. And it did, slowly, his mind clearing the fog of pleasure to let him notice the hint of something new. A hint of emotion he just knew wasn’t his own, and it took him a moment longer to recognize it as Bucky. He could feel his boyfriend’s—no, his  _ mate’s _ presence faintly, and okay, that was something completely new he had not expected. It should have felt invasive, but it didn't. It was like being aware of his inner wolf, but not at the same time. It had no bearing on him, his emotions, thoughts, or actions like his wolf did, it was simply there, letting him be aware of Bucky when he concentrated on that new little place inside.

A minute or so after Bucky had finished with his orgasm, his jaw snapped back open, leaving a bloody mess on Clint's shoulder, but also a pleasant feeling that aired through his body that didn't feel like it was entirely his. Nevertheless, Bucky looked down at Clint while catching his breath.

"Sorry… didn't mean to bite you so hard."

“I feel like I should be freaking out,” Clint said after he found his voice again, and wow, he sounded like he needed water for sure, “But I feel quite content...is it as messy as your bloody smile looks?”

"Yeah pretty much," Bucky said with a chuckle. "I'll clean it up and make sure it doesn't get infected."

“Good, I think my legs are jello… do we have an attached bathroom in this fancy tower?” Clint asked, glancing around the room. There did seem to be two doors other than the one out to the rest of Nat’s apartment, and assuming one was a closet, the other was likely to be a bathroom.

"Looks like that's possible," Bucky said after also looking around. "Also I hope your back doesn't end up hurting from staying bent like you were."

“My back will be fine.” Clint smiled.

"I hope so. I did keep you bent for a bit."

“My back will be fine,” he insisted, “But I could use some water.”

"I'll get you some as soon as I can. I'm a bit stuck right now." Bucky tugged a little, finding his knot was still too inflated to pull out.

Clint's face colored instantly as he yipped, "I forgot about the being stuck together thing…" he admitted. 

The brunet chuckled. “No worries, we just have an excuse to cuddle for a little longer.”

"To be fair, you are the first guy to stick around so long after we cum." Clint teased. 

“And I’ll be the only one, hopefully. Maybe you won’t want me around forever,” Bucky teased back.

"I don't foresee myself not wanting you around."

“Good to know.” Sighing, Bucky moved them to their sides, since his arms were getting shaky while holding up his weight. When they were settled, he brought up a hand to Clint’s face. “I don't think I could leave you now after leaving that bite. Something… kinda clicked when I bit down.”

"I feel you. Like, literally feel you—I'm not talking about your knot, it's more like...I don't know, a hint of your emotions are tucked away into a special corner of my mind or something." Clint babbled. 

Bucky nodded. “I can feel you too… Wonder if this is a wolf thing or alpha and omega thing?”

"We have no way of knowing, I think. We're the only wolf people and active alpha-omega pair we know of."

“The only way we might be able to find out is if we went back to Hydra, and we’re  _ not _ doing that.”

"Nope. We're staying away from those assholes." Clint agreed. 

“I’d rather not risk getting tested on again. I’ve spent enough time with Hydra to last several lifetimes.”

Clint pulled Bucky down into a kiss, "Never again." 

The brunet smiled into the kiss. “Never. We can do our own research. Maybe Nat can help us.”

"No harm in asking her." He agreed. 

“I’m sure she knows at least as much as we do.”

“She knows we’re together and that we’re wolves, but those are both things she could have witnessed by spying on us. The other thing is you know, an internal thing.”

“If she’s been spying on us, I bet she’s been spying on Hydra too. When we met years ago… she was part of something called the Red Room. I don’t know if she’s told you that or not, but the Red Room was in association with Hydra before Hydra took over it. She knows some parts of Hydra, I’m sure.”

“She really hasn’t told me much of anything, it seems. There’s so many secrets she kept close, it makes me feel like I hardly know her at all, but at the same time, after how the circus thing ended...she’s basically my only and therefore closest friend, not including my boyfriend, of course.”

“She’s a good person. I’m glad she was the one to help us get here. Anyone else I couldn’t have trusted.”

“What about that Captain Steve America guy?”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other… we’re both completely different guys now. I have no idea what he’s like after all these years.”

“Well, I hope he’s at least still the kind of guy that punches nazis in the face with that shield of his.”

“I hope so too…” Bucky sighed, shoving his face into Clint’s neck, the side that wasn’t bit and covered in blood, anyways.

“We can ask Nat about the guy. Get an idea if he’s still who you remember?”

“Maybe. She would know him better now than I would.”

Clint nodded, “And we can get an idea of the other people who live here before we meet them. Know what to expect.”

“Think we should greet them as wolves just to freak them out?”

“Nah, if Nat hasn’t told them yet, we’ll have a secret and a way of messing with Steve and his team. We could draw it out, have some fun with it, you know?”

“I see. We pull pranks on them and not acknowledge any existence of wolves in the building.”

“Yup. It’ll be fun.”

“I’ll think about it. Speaking of our wolves, I hope there’s a place here that’s large enough for us to run around in. I’m gonna go nuts if I can’t get a good run in every once in a while.”

“Another thing to ask Nat, I guess.” Clint shrugged, shifting his hips a bit.

“Seems like we have a lot of questions about… well, everything. I almost wish we could just go back to Canada and live there for the rest of our lives.”

“Honestly, I’m just happy being with you. Doesn’t matter where. Though someplace with woods to run around in is ideal.”

“I mean I know Central Park is a big space to run, but we’d get caught by animal control almost instantly.”

“We’d have to go one at a time with leash and collar to pretend to be just a dude with his dog.”

“That’s no fun, I just wanna run around without a leash. Maybe there’s a beach around here that we can go to with Nat. She can claim us as her dogs.”

“We’d need to get a second leash.” Clint said, “But if she’s willing…”

“She needs to take us to a beach soon,” Bucky said with a chuckle.

“Once we get cleaned, unpacked, and dressed, we’ll go see about talking with her about all these things.”

Bucky nodded in agreement. 

A little more time passed before they were finally able to separate. The brunet was pleased to find the bathroom was fully stocked with towels, toiletries, and a first aid kit, which would make cleaning up the bite go a little smoother. Along with grabbing some towels and the first aid kit, Bucky grabbed a glass that was holding toothbrushes. It looked clean enough to hold drinkable water, so he put some water from the faucet in it and brought it out for Clint. 

“Here’s your water, and I got a first aid kit to treat that bite.”

“Thanks, babe” Clint drank down the water and put the cup aside before looking down at the mess he was.

Bucky cleaned the both of them up, then he got around to cleaning up the bite. He was careful, not wanting to disturb the bite too much for fear of causing Clint any pain. All the blood was cleaned up before an antibiotic cream was spread across the area. Bucky finished it off with a bandaid and a kiss to the blond’s nose.

“All cleaned up,” he said with a smile.

“Alright, lets test my legs, then.” Clint said, having Bucky help pull him to his feet. They were still shaky, but he could manage. Grabbing a bag, he started pulling things out, tossing all the clothes into the hamper to be washed, and finding homes for the few random items they had, including his prized bow. Then he looked into the surprisingly spacious closet that was larger than the entire trailer Clint had lived in with Barney, and found some clothes to pull on, opting for a purple turtleneck sweater that looked particularly warm and soft over a tempting zip-up hoodie.

Bucky slipped into a pair of jeans and a henley shirt, pulling up the sleeves until they were bunched up around his elbows. Sure it may have been what he was wearing while travelling, but it was comfortable, plus the clothes were clean now, so win-win.

“Okay,” Clint said, pulling on a pair of fluffy purple and pink striped socks, “ready to go have a chat with Nat?”

“Yep, I believe she promised you pizza, so let’s see if we can get her to order some.”

“Worked off lunch already?” Clint teased, taking Bucky’s hand, “How’d you do that?”

“Maybe it was us having a full conversation while getting that full body workout.” Bucky smirked as Clint led him out of the room.

“We enjoyed it.” Clint smirked as they moved down the hall to look for Nat.

“Indeed we did. Needed it to, if I had to say so.”

They found Nat sitting on the couch in her living room, sipping a drink while reading up on something on her tablet. She looked up when they came in and smiled. “There’s the two lovebirds. Had some nice puppy love?” she teased.

“Yup.” Clint grinned without shame as he pulled Bucky over to a comfortable looking loveseat and snuggled in with him, “Haven't had it that good since Canada.”

“At least you two are settled in now. Hope the bed is comfortable.”

“We’ve been sleeping on dirt most nights the whole way here, any actual bed is comfortable at this point.” Clint grabbed a decorative throw pillow and hugged it, “Anyway, we have some questions.”

“Alright.” Nat set down her tablet and drink, crossing her legs as she leaned back again on the couch. “I have a feeling you have a lot after me being so suspicious, and you didn’t get to ask them all while we were walking here.”

“Okay, let's start off with what all you know about Bucky and I.”

“Fair enough. I know you two were part of a series of experiments Hydra has been performing. Somehow you two are the most successful products of those experiments, so Hydra is pretty pissed right now that you both managed to escape. Anyways, I obviously know you two are werewolves now. You’ve got some sort of dynamic going on with the wolves, like alpha, beta, omega, that sort of deal. Hydra was talking about how their experiments would expose those dynamics within normal people, though I don’t really know much beyond that other than the dynamics come with a sort of unbreakable bond.”

“I wonder if that’s what we discovered today,” James thought out loud.

Clint snorted with amusement, “I don’t think it’s  _ not _ what we discovered today, seeing as we can sense each other’s emotions if we want to.” He glanced at Nat, then, “The day you grabbed me as I was leaving the library, I had been attempting research on those dynamics or whatever they are called. Bucky’s been living with his dynamic for decades so he’s figured things out over time. But mine isn’t the same as his so I wanted to know what to expect. All I could find was from a conspiracy theory site, but they did have some things accurate based on what we did know, so I’ve logged the rest as plausible. Though they said nothing about a bond, unbreakable or otherwise.”

Nat shrugged. “Some sites don’t have all the information. If I remember correctly, you have the omega dynamic, so the reproductive dynamic, basically. If you haven’t experienced it already, you’ll have some sort of heat period, like wolves do. I don’t know how that would work with your wolf part, since I assume you still have your male bits as a wolf.”

Clint opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again, glance at Bucky, and then suck in a breath, his face turning red, “I don’t think we’ve even checked to see how my bits are when I’m in wolf form.” he admitted, “I did read that I might be able to get pregnant, though, so now Bucky has to use condoms.”

“Good, wouldn’t want to accidentally have another thing to worry about on top of staying out of Hydra’s sight.”

“We grabbed a pregnancy test before we left Canada to be sure we didn’t have that sort of accident,” Bucky spoke up.

“Didn’t want Hydra to find out we could make babies if they did catch up to us. Plus if I did get pregnant, that would be a very awkward doctor’s visit. Not like it’s normal for a guy who was born with a guy’s body to suddenly have a womb doing womb things.” Clint added.

Nat shrugged. “I’m sure you would have come up with something believable. You’re smart enough.”

“Glad someone has faith in my ability to bullshit my way out of awkward situations like that.” Clint shrugged, “Okay, so, moving on...you know we’re wolves and everything, but our wolves like to get out and run around, and being in a big city like this is...not ideal for that. Would you mind terribly if you took us out in wolf form as your dogs or something so we can satisfy that need? Or something.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’m sure a dog park wouldn’t cut it for you two, and people would get nervous if I brought two large wolf looking dogs to the park.” Nat chuckled at that imagery. “There’s a beach on the coast I can take you two to. Lots of space for you to stretch your legs.”

“You’re the best friend a wolf-guy could ever hope for.” Clint gushed, “Also, I bet you’d look bad-ass walking two wolf-like dogs.”

“I’d absolutely look like a badass. Just expect to stop for pictures, because people love big dogs and cute girls here in New York.”

“Well, I’m a big  _ cute _ dog. A little girl adored me. Pretty sure she wanted to take me home.” Clint chuckled.

“We should have visited her before we left Canada,” Bucky said with a smile.

“Well, I haven’t seen your wolf forms up close, but I have noticed how Clint is smaller. I can imagine you were easily mistaken for a normal dog,” Nat said, amused.

“Yup, that's why I played the part of the dog when we went to get collars for when we needed to pretend we were dogs. Came in handy a few times while traveling, while other times it was better that we were full on wolves. Border patrol didn’t want to mess with us.”

“You know, you two make a good team,” Nat observed. “Not just in terms of a relationship, but you two could easily do missions together, if you didn’t get distracted by each other, that is.”

“Who’s distracted? Us? Never.” Clint grinned, “Eh, we know when to behave, you know. We got all the way here without being detected, after all.”

“You did, and I’m proud of you specifically for doing that. I already know Bucky can get around undetected. Now I know you can as well.”

“I know a few tricks.” Clint shrugged, “Worked for a shady circus, after all.”

“I know, I saw,” Nat teased. “So, any other questions? I have a few of my own, but I won’t ask until you’ve asked all you wanted to ask.”

“Um,” Clint took Bucky’s hand again, “He’s wondering what Steve’s like these days. And we both are hoping he still likes punching nazis.”

Bucky nodded. "It's been a while since we've seen each other… he doesn't even know I'm still alive, and I've changed a lot over the many years we've been apart."

"I understand," Nat said. "Steve is kind and a great leader. He's absolutely still into punching nazis and doing the right thing. We've gotten him to say more curse words recently. Guy was a stick in the mud about us cursing around him."

“You got Captain America to curse?” Clint asked with wide eyes, “Mister wholesome apple pie? My, my, what would the conservatives say?”

"I can't believe a single curse word has come out of Steve's mouth," Bucky said with a smile. "But time changes us all, I guess."

"He kept telling us 'language' every time we'd curse. Now he freely does it. We're all proud of him." Nat laughed. "Though I think Tony has had the most influence on him. Those two are inseparable these days."

“And speaking of Tony….what can we expect from everyone once we stop hiding out in your apartment?”

"Steve's chill, of course, Tony is a bit full of himself but super smart. Good drinking buddy. Thor is a literal god from Asgard. Also a good drinking buddy but don't try to out drink him, you'll lose. Then there's Bruce. Old acquaintance of mine, good friend, don't get him angry. He's also super smart, like Tony, and when he's angry he becomes this big green guy who likes to smash things with his fists. He's good friends with Thor when he's angry. Sam is...well, he’s Sam." she gave a small smile.

“Think we can handle all that?” Clint asked Bucky.

Bucky shrugged. "Well it doesn't sound as crazy as Hydra was. You were in a circus, so I think we both can handle living with some interesting people."

“Okay then, I have one last question, not sure if Bucky will add any, but...do the others know about the wolf thing?” Clint asked with a mischievous grin.

"Not at all," Nat reassured. "I just told them I had some friends who needed shelter for a while. Didn't say anything about wolves or dogs."

“So we can totally fuck with them, right? Sweet.” Clint pumped his fist.

The redhead laughed. "Sure, if you feel brave enough to do so."

“Oh, I am.” Clint grinned. “It’ll be fun!”

"You'll most likely find me as a wolf in the morning, so if a big black wolf wanders around in the morning, it's just me waking up," Bucky said. "I wake up as a wolf more often than I'd like."

"You've got no complaints from me," Nat said. "As long as I can pet you sometimes. Same for you, Clint."

“I do enjoy pets.” Clint said, “Oh, and uh, so you know, shifting is not clothing-friendly. So if we’re wolves, we’re naked so if you need us to be human fast you’re going to see dick.”

"Fine by me, as long as you don't shift on me as a prank. You're like a brother to me, and I have no need to see your dick."

If I do, I promise it's because Jimmy fell into the well or something that needs better expression than barking."

“Woof woof,” Nat teased with a smirk. “Bucky, you have any questions?”

“Well, I do… but they’re more about our past than anything, so we don’t have to talk about that now.”

Nat’s smirk faded, her head nodding slowly. “Of course… there’s a better time to speak of those things. My goal for today was to get you two settled into city life and answer any questions you had about your new lives.

“But if you’re all done with yours, I do have some of my own, mainly for Clint. Your answer will probably be no… but do you know why your brother may have been working with Hydra? Any motives he had before you were taken that you noticed were different than before?”

Clint sighed and shrank, tucking himself in closer to Bucky’s side and wriggling himself down under his metal arm so that it looped around his shoulders “Guess he was jealous of me being a main performer. I didn't want to help them out with the illegal stuff they did, so the Ringmaster decided to give me to Hydra. My brother said he didn’t care because now he’d get his chance in the spotlight or whatever.”

“I’m sorry, Clint… I wish I would have known before Hydra got to you. I could have saved you from being turned into a wolf.”

“Then Bucky’d still be alone.” Clint shrugged, “We got out together, and Hydra didn’t even have me that long.”

“They had you long enough for me to get concerned about you. Didn’t see you at the circus the day after you were gone and I went snooping.”

“They got me right after my last performance. I changed out of my costume and was planning on meeting Barney to go find dinner when a couple of Hydra suits approached me. They wouldn’t have gotten me at all if the people I trusted hadn’t shown up and drugged me. Woke up in Canada with them getting ready to inject me with the wolf stuff.

“Then you met Bucky not long after. I’d say it was incredibly lucky you two were at the same facility at the same time. From what I knew they moved him around quite a bit.”

“I think they planned it, actually.” Clint said, “They kept talking about how I needed to meet their ‘asset’. They brought us together intentionally. They just didn’t expect us to use it as an opportunity to escape them.”

“Interesting, so I guess they had something planned that involved the both of you. Maybe they wanted you to end up like you are now.”

“They had something planned. I don’t think it was us becoming mates. They were planning on us meeting before they tested me to find out that I’m an omega. They probably were just aiming to start forming a pack or something. I’m not sure. I spent the entire time I was there confused and somewhat scared.”

“Whatever they had planned, they didn’t get the chance to do anything other than turn you into a wolf.”

Clint nodded, “Yeah, as far as I know, that’s all they managed.”

“You haven’t had any weird changes other than the wolf right?”

“Nothing has changed with either of us,” Bucky spoke up. “Nothing changed after they decided to poke and prod at me right before I met Clint.”

“I mean, the omega thing is new, but it’s sort of linked to the wolf thing. But yeah, all the other surprises I’ve had with my body is related to either my wolf or the fact I’m an omega.”

“Good, as long as nothing new happens, I think you’re safe from Hydra’s experiments,” Nat said, sounding a bit relieved. 

“Why? What were you worried about?” Clint asked, “What kind of even more fucked up shit are they doing to people?”

“I just wanted to be sure that your wolf DNA wouldn’t mutate at all. That’d end up disastrous. Yeah you and Bucky are the most successful experiments, but there’s always a margin of error when it comes to experiments.”

“That doesn’t sound pleasant…”

“No, it wouldn’t be… I guess there is a chance of dying too from the experimentation. But that’s always a risk for most things in life.”

“Well, we haven't died yet. Pretty sure I’m not a ghost werewolf.”

“That’d make for a hell of a Halloween costume,” Nat said with a smile. “But we don’t actually want that to happen. While you’re here you’re at least safe from being detected by Hydra.”

“Good. Going back to their clutches is not an option. Especially for Bucky. They had him for way way too long.”

“I’d rather not go back for the rest of my life,” Bucky commented. 

“Don’t worry, you’ve got the Avengers protecting you here, it’ll be hard for Hydra to sneak in to get you two back,” Nat reassured.

“Yeah, that’s still blowing my mind. I was such a nobody kid that couldn’t even afford a Captain America lunch box and now I’m sleeping in the same building as the guy.”

“In a couple days you’ll get to meet him. Crazy, right?”

“Think he’ll give me the shovel talk for sleeping with his oldest friend?”

“Oh he might, he gives lectures on just about anything.”

Bucky chuckled. “Sounds like Steve…”

“Sounds cool...and intimidating.” Clint chuckled.

“Still talks big even though he’s not a little guy anymore. If that doesn’t sound like Steve, I don’t know what does.” Bucky sighed, smiling. “At least that makes me feel a little bit better about seeing him again.”

Clint pressed a kiss to Bucky’s arm and gave it a pat, “You can call him a punk again, too.”

“You can bet I’m gonna call him a punk again… When we get to know each other again.”

“I don’t think it’ll take too long for you two to become friends again,” Nat said. “He talks about you a lot, shares stories about you two in the war when we all have dinner together.”

“I think you should call him a punk as soon as he realizes it’s you. Especially if the other Avengers are around. I doubt they ever heard anyone call him a punk.” Clint smirked.

“Maybe I will, we’ll see how our first meeting goes.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great. He’ll want a hug, you’ll call him a punk, everyone has a laugh.”

“That’s the hope…”

“Don’t dwell on it too much tonight,” Nat said. “Just relax for today. I’ll order the pizza I owe Clint, we’ll put on a movie, have a good time and not worry about anything.”

“It is good to see you again, Nat. And like, not with you just popping up for a quick chat and then disappearing again.”

“I’m glad I have nothing to hide anymore. You know I’m an Avenger now, you practically know everything about me.” She smirked.

“Yeah, just like I know that that’s a lie and we both know it.” Clint teased her.

“Well, I can’t tell you everything, otherwise I wouldn’t be the Nat you know and love.” She winked at him.

Clint chuckled and got up, “Where do you keep your movies? Bucky and I will choose one.”

"They're on the shelves of the TV stand," Nat said while getting up and grabbing her phone. "Sorry I don't have a ton, but there should be a good selection to look through."

"That's fine." Clint said as he stooped down to look at the selection. "What kind of movie are you feeling like, Bucky?"

"Not sure," the brunet said as he moved to sit down next to the TV stand. "What kind of movies do you like? I haven't wanted many recently, and the movies I watched before I was deployed were mostly documentaries about the war."

"Let's try something light-hearted then."

"Something that'll make us laugh and possibly snort up pizza accidentally."

"Um, Princess Bride it is. Classic." Clint grinned as he grabbed the DVD. 

“Sounds fun enough. I better laugh a lot, since you chose it.” Bucky smirked while getting back up to his feet.

Clint rolled his eyes, “Just don’t get scared of the R-O-U-S’, Buttercup.” he teased.

Bucky blinked. “The… what? Actually don’t tell me. And is Buttercup a new pet name you’re tying out?”

Clint chuckled, popping the DVD into the player and turning on the TV. “You’ll see.”

“I’ll trust you. For now anyways.” The brunet chuckled while settling onto the couch Nat had been sitting on earlier.

“You’ll love this. It’s the cheesiest romance ever.” Clint insisted, flopping down next to him and snuggling himself in close.

“How fitting. We get pizza with cheese, and we’re involved in a romance ourselves. Cheesy romance could describe our entire relationship.”

Clint turned and smiled at Bucky, gently cupping his cheek, “This is true love, you think this happens every day?” he shook his head.

“Of course not, but you love pizza. I’m glad at least now your love for pizza isn’t as strong as your love for me now, though.” Bucky smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

Clint laughed and kissed him as Nat returned, “Pizza’s on it’s way, boys.”

“Fantastic,” Bucky said, pulling away. “Clint chose The Princess Bride to watch.”

“An excellent choice,” the redhead approved.

“Got to start showing Bucky al the classics, you know.” Clint grinned.

“I agree. Get him up to speed on all the best of modern entertainment.”

“I would have had a head start if I had escaped from Hydra sooner,” Bucky said.

“If it makes you feel better, I’m not all caught up on the newest stuff, either. Traveling in a circus kind of limited my ability to watch movies. So some of the movies we watch will be new for me, as well.”

“At least you’re not 70 years behind. But that’s what I have you for, among other things. You can get me up to speed on what you know, and Nat can fill in the rest.”

“Of course. We’ll start having a movie night at least once a week. Sound nice?”

"It does. Dinner and a movie, classic date option."

“And we can stay in for it, so no strangers or crowds.” Clint added. “Just us, and sometimes maybe a friend or two—like Nat.”

“Just keep your roaming hands outside the pants until you two retire back to your room.” Nat said.

"No fun on the couch, then," Bucky said with an exaggerated and sarcastic sigh.

“Not on my couch.” Nat confirmed, “If you two end up with your own place then you can make your own rules, but while living with me, that stuff stays in your room.”

The brunet nodded. "That's fair. Don't wanna ruin your lovely red and black color scheme you've got going on here. White would just ruin the aesthetic."

Nat made a face with the expression of not quite disgust, but definitely uncomfortable.

“Oh my god, Bucky…” Clint gasped at his boyfriend.

"What? I'm not wrong." Bucky smirked, feeling a bit like the person he was before Hydra got to him.

“So dirty.” Clint flushed, shoving his face into Bucky’s neck.

“And I think this is my queue to start the movie.” Nat said, grabbing the remote.

As the movie started, Bucky dropped the conversation, his attention being drawn to the pictures on the TV and his mind quickly forgetting how much of a rebel he wanted to be by ravishing Clint on Nat's couch. He would be able to do that plenty when they had a living space big enough for a couch.

* * *

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Clint and Bucky spent a few days hiding out in Nat’s apartment, adjusting to life in the tower and settling into their room until they were comfortable. They had even rearranged things, and Nat had helped them stock up on weapons to hide around the room, in addition to Clint’s bow, of course. Having a few handguns and some nice quality knives helped make the room feel more secure should something, however unlikely it was, happen. They wouldn’t be sitting ducks, they could fight back. And if the two each chose some favorite knives to keep hidden on hand when they left their room, well, it wasn’t as if Nat was going to say anything.

But their peaceful time alone in Nat’s space couldn’t last forever, as they did need to branch out to meet the other residents of the tower and learn what facilities they’d have access to apart from Nat’s apartment. Nat had mentioned a gym, a range, a pool...lots of places they would have access to should they want to spend time in places other than their room.

And, well, it was high time that Bucky was reunited with his oldest friend.

So when Nat walked in after a recent mission the team had been called out onto and informed the two lovers who were making out on the floor by the couch (hey, they weren’t  _ on  _ the couch!) that there was going to be a dinner gathering in the commons, and that they should join and meet the team, they had agreed. 

Nat seemed pleased by that as she went to shower and change. When she returned, she made the two make themselves presentable, which mostly involved a brush for Bucky’s hair and a fresh shirt for Clint that hadn’t been stretched out. Then she ushered them into the elevator and had the talking elevator take them to the community floor, which she had explained was basically an apartment that was open to the entire team. A common eating area, an extra large kitchen and living area, and community activities like gaming rooms were set up. It also had some team conference rooms for whatever team stuff needed to be discussed.

The talking elevator opened to the community floor and the three were greeted with a flurry of activity and casual chatting, mostly drifting from the kitchen and dining area.

“Hands off the pie! That’s for dessert, and this time I mean for it to make it to dessert!” a voice was scolding.

“Ah, but our lovely Doctor Banner, your baking is always devine!” another voice boomed happily.

“You still need to wait, Thor.” the first voice said.

"I swear you two keep arguing like this and you'll start sounding more like an old married couple," Nat called out to her fellow Avengers with a smile. "Bruce might actually warm up to you for once if you listen to him, Thor."

"Doctor Banner makes the best pies, though!" Thor argued, moving to step into Nat's line of sight. "They are best eaten right out of the oven!"

“That’s a good way to burn all your tastebuds off, and then you won’t be able to enjoy the pie at all.” Bruce said tucking the pie away onto a cooling rack a bit more out of sight where he hoped it’d make it through to dinner. Then he moved around, removing the simple cream colored apron and hanging it up on a hook, before standing a little behind Thor to look around the god of thunder with a smile, “I see your mystery guests have decided to join us for dinner. It’s nice to meet you two at last. Natasha has...not really spoken much about you, but that’s nothing new. She likes keeping her information to herself. I’m Bruce, this is Thor.”

“Clint,” Clint offered his name with a little wave, “And this is Bucky.”

Bucky nodded as his greeting, noting the slight look of recognition on their faces at his name.

"Where's Steve and Tony?" Nat asked, looking around while introductions were made.

“Steve’s probably trying to drag Tony away from his lab again. Tony took that hit that messed with the wiring in his suit and he’s probably trying to figure out a way to prevent a repeat of that. You know how he is.” Bruce said, “Sam’s out on the balcony with the grill.”

"Thank god someone is actually cooking." Nat sighed while brushing away some of her hair. "Jarvis, can you tell those two to get down here? We have guests."

"Of course, Miss Romanoff," the voice from the elevator said, though they were clearly not in the elevator.

Cint looked up, “Was that the elevator voice?”

"Yeah, that's Jarvis. He's the tower's AI. Tony brought him here when he moved from his home back in Malibu. Pretty helpful."

"Aye, JARVIS reminds us of things and gives us updates on battles!" Thor boasted proudly, as if he were the one to create the AI.

“Wait, so he’s everywhere?”

“Nearly. The public areas of the building do not have access to him, or at least they have limited access.” Bruce said, “But we have full access to his services on the private floors.”

“Even in bedrooms?”

“If I may,” the voice, JARVIS, spoke up, “I assure you that everything personal that happens in your bedroom is deleted from my memory banks unless you request it to be saved.”

"Exactly," Nat reassured. "J is a good guy, he won't leak any information that's been said within bedrooms or the rest of the tower. Tony made sure the tower had the best protection possible."

"Well… I have to say I'm impressed," Bucky said. "Not that an AI is impressive to me, but I'm impressed that it's covering the whole tower."

“I was impressed just when I thought it was just a fancy elevator.’ Clint admitted.

"To be fair, a fully aware AI is nonexistent these days, so he's impressive in that sense at least."

“I feel like I’ve stepped into a sci-fi movie, really.” Clint shrugged.

“You might as well have. Smart AI, guy with a robot arm, it’s all there.” Nat laughed. “I’m gonna go check on Sam, you boys get acquainted with each other, alright?”

“Hey, I happened to bring the guy with the super cool robot arm!” Clint said, “It’s just the AI and the superpowered people you hang out with that’s new and sci-fi-ish.”

Nat just waved him off as she disappeared.

Clint sighed and looked back over at Bruce and Thor as he stood awkwardly next to Bucky.

“Well, nice of her to leave you two alone with people you don’t know.” Bruce sighed, but he offered a kind smile. “Regardless, we’re glad to have you here. Hope you two like food. We usually end up with extra afterwards, since there’s a good handful of us here and one of us eats like he has a bottomless pit for a stomach.”

“We do like food, especially cooked food that we don’t have to chase.” Clint smiled.

“Oh yeah, exercising before food isn’t always the most fun.” Bucky smirked at Clint before looking back at Thor and Bruce.

“You two fancy the hunt, then?” Thor asked. 

“Sure, just don’t like the chasing part of hunting all that much sometimes.”

“We had to eat somehow before we met up with Nat, and we weren’t always around towns that had easy food options. We’ve had way too much squirrel.”

Bruce grimaced. “Squirrel doesn’t sound…all that appetizing. I promise we won’t have that here tonight.”

“Nay, tonight you dine on pie!” Thor boasted.

“ _ After _ dinner,” Bruce said with a sigh.

“Clint and I are just excited to have home cooked food again without needing to hunt for it. I’m sure we’ll enjoy both dinner and desert.” Bucky said with a smile.

“We’ve been spoiled here with getting to have takeout brought to us the last few days.” Clint agreed.

“So how do you two know Lady Romanov?” Thor asked.

Clint shrugged, “I randomly kept bumping into her at different bars. Now I’m questioning how ‘random’ it really was seeing as she’s got that James Bond thing going.

“She must have gotten good intel on you on a mission, then,” Bruce said. 

“Nat and I met a while back,” Bucky said, sounding a bit distant. “We…don’t like to talk about it much. Bad memories, unfortunately.”

“Well, whatever it was that happened, she trusts you, and she doesn’t trust easily.” Bruce said.

"Yeah," Bucky agreed with a nod. "I consider myself lucky to be trusted by her, especially with the histories we have."

“Are you really from another planet?” Clint suddenly blurted out as he looked at Thor.

There was a moment of silence before Thor broke out in a laugh. "Yes, of course! I proudly hail from Asgard, being the next in line for the throne."

“It’s just...you look human.”

"Most intelligent life in our galaxy does look quite similar, apart from some races who might be blue or gold."

“I see….well, not see, but I think I understand maybe? I don’t know.” Clint babbled.

“Thor you can’t just tell a person they’re not alone in the galaxy…” Bruce sighed yet again, but he kept a smile on his face. “Being an Avenger allows you to learn a lot of things you didn’t think were true. Like how humans aren’t the only intelligent life forms in the galaxy.”

“I’m sorry… are we talking about aliens?” Bucky questioned once he was able to find a voice to his questions.

“Yup. Pretty sure that’s what we call people from other planets.” Clint nodded.

“Aliens, Asgardians, whatever other races of the galaxy are called, they exist. Sorry if that’s a lot to process all in one day,” Bruce apologized. 

“No no, it’s fine. I’ve seen some pretty weird things in my life,” Bucky hurried to say. “The fact that aliens exist… isn’t the craziest thing I’ve heard, I suppose.”

“It’s still up there for me.” Clint shrugged.

“Stick around long enough and you’ll see some weird shit,” a new voice said, coming from the direction of the elevator. 

Two new faces stepped into the room, a brunet with well trimmed facial hair and a blond with eyes as blue as the sky. The voice had come from the brunet, who happened to be smiling as they walked in.

“So you’re the two guys Romanoff was talking about. Hope the tower hasn’t been too uncomfortable for you.”

Clint turned around, his eyes widening a little bit as he saw the two most recognizable faces on the Avengers team. He of course knew they would be meeting Tony Stark and Steven Rogers, AKA Iron Man and Captain America, but knowing it’d happen still didn’t take away from the surreal feeling Clint got when finding himself face to face with them.

“Uh, yeah, it’s...it’s great. Feels safe despite being in the big apple—do people actually call this place that? Gosh, I probably sound like an idiot I’ll shut up now.”

While Clint spoke, Bucky paid no attention, because the moment he had seen Steve, and Steve had seen him, the two just stared at each other, eyes wide and breath coming in short huffs. It had been seventy years since they last saw each other in person, and Bucky suddenly found it hard to breathe the longer he stared at Steve and nothing happened. He guessed he had to make the first move.

Sighing, Bucky gained a sad expression. "Hey, Steve…"

Steve took a slow, shaky step forward, his blue eyes scanning over Bucky’s familiar features that had changed slightly by time. His hair once in a smart, stylish cut from the 40’s now long enough to be pulled back into the little man bun he sometimes supported. A tired, worn down and haunted look dulling the grey-blue eyes that once sparkled with a smile that matched his ‘life of the party’ personality. And if his gaze flickered down from Bucky’s face, he could take in the arm that very clearly was no longer made of flesh and bone under the rolled up sleeves of a black hoodie.

“Bucky…” He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and he finished closing the distance between them, yanking Bucky into a hug and holding him like he’d disappear if he let go.

Bucky grunted when Steve pulled him in for a hug, but he couldn’t help but hug back as soon as the blond was hugging him. It had been far too long since he saw his best friend, and he was more than relieved to find out that Steve hadn’t forgotten him after all those years. 

The brunet took in a shaking breath while hugging Steve. “I can’t believe you remember me, you punk…”

“You fell off the train...I couldn’t catch you, I—Why aren’t you—I thought you were dead, Buck.” Steve choked out.

“Russians got to me after I fell… I was barely hanging onto life before they fixed me up and… gave me my arm.” Bucky hugged Steve tighter, trying to keep from getting too overwhelmed. He was failing pretty miserably.

“Russians?” Steve pulled back only just enough to cup his friend’s cheek.

“Hydra.” Clint offered.

“Russians, then Hydra… I’ve done some bad shit, Stevie…” Bucky sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground.

“Bucky?” Steve looked a little lost as he pulled his friend back into a hug, looking around for help. His gaze finally fell on Clint.

“It wasn’t his choice. He had no choice. Hydra forced him to do things for them.” Clint said, “We only escaped because Hydra didn’t expect us to work together to make a run for it.”

“...But...it’s been seventy years…” Steve whispered.

“And you look the same as you did back then, Steve,” Bucky pointed out. “I have the same question as you regarding how you’re still here.”

“Frozen in ice where I crashed one of Hydra’s planes they had been planning to use to bomb major cities with all over the world.” Steve said, “They found me a few years ago and thawed me out. The serum kept me alive the whole time, though I was suddenly waking up to a completely changed world…”

“Frozen…” Bucky shivered slightly. “Sounds like we both were kept on ice to stay alive… though I’m sure Hydra did some wacky stuff to me to keep me alive long enough for them to use and abuse me for 70 damn years…”

“They won’t have you again.” Steve promised firmly, “I’m so sorry—if I had known—if I had even a hint that you were still alive—I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you…”

“It’s in the past now. You didn’t know and I… wouldn’t have remembered you then.” Bucky shook his head and put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “It’s really good to see you again, though… And this time I don’t intend to forget you again.”

“He’s not going to disappear if you let him go, you know.” Tony spoke up, patting Steve on the shoulder before glancing at Clint, “So are you also some lost soldier from the forties?”

Clint shook his head, “I’m a modern peanut. Not sure exactly how long Hydra had me, but my guess is that it was only a few days tops, and I was drugged and unconscious for most of it. Woke up to them playing mad scientist on me.”

"The only ones playing mad scientist around here are me and Brucie," Tony said with a smirk. "But don't worry, we go mad scientist on machines, not people."

“Technically I have done it on myself.” Bruce said, “Did not get the results I had hoped for.”

“At least then you had given consent. Bucky and I didn’t get the chance to agree or refuse the torture injections.” Clint shrugged, “And you seem to have come out alright. I hear you make great pies, even.”

Bruce gave a shy smile, “I came out fine, but I also came out with a big, obvious green issue.”

Clint blinked a few times before his mouth fell open and he pointed, “Wait, you’re the Hulk?”

“Technically the Hulk is completely his own self, but we do share a body.”

"You're really starstruck here, aren't you, Clint?" Bucky chuckled. "I mean I can imagine why. We've been introduced to most of the Avengers."

“Can you blame me? I never thought I’d ever meet anyone more famous than, you know, myself, which isn’t anywhere close to this scale of famous! I’m a brat who had a show in the big tent at a traveling circus, these guys save the  _ world  _ from evil and stuff!” Clint gave Bucky a grin, “This more than makes up for my sad lack of ever getting a Captain America lunch box as a kid.”

“I never thought I’d see Steve again, so I feel similar.” Bucky looked up at his oldest friend and smiled. “It’s a good feeling.”

“So.. you are the Bucky Steve has been talking about,” Bruce spoke up. “At least you’re here now and out of Hydra’s grasp. I know Hydra was bad back during World War II, but I hate seeing that they’re still around and doing bad things to innocent people like Clint.”

"From what Bucky's told me, Hydra has never stopped being as bad as back then. They've just been more secretive about it. They're the ones behind a ton of unsolved murders, assassinations, and even some assumed-to-be accidents." Clint shrugged, "We had discussed trying to let Captain America know about them before we found ourselves in a position to actually do so. Get him to go out punching Nazi's again and hopefully get them to stop trying to track us down and get us back. We're apparently their most successful experiments and they aren't exactly happy that we escaped."

"I wouldn't be happy either if I lost my most successful projects," Tony chimed in. "That's a lot of money lost. I'm sure Hydra is going crazy right now trying to find you two."

"Luckily that won't happen," Nat's voice spoke up as she returned, Sam following her with plates of steaks and hamburgers.

“Natasha...why...didn’t you tell me that it’s Bucky?” Steve asked, looking entirely too much like a sad puppy.

"Because I knew you'd end up acting clingy and upping your mother hen act." the redhead said with a smile. "I wanted to allow you to process the news in a relaxed setting like now."

“Bucky and I also needed time to adjust.” Clint said. “We’ve been on our own for a while.” 

"Exactly, so now we all have time to rest and adjust unless we have a surprise call," Nat reassured.

"We need it," Bucky commented. "We've got 70 years worth of catching up to do."

Thor had left and came back with two extra chairs, setting them at the table and shifting things around a bit, “Come sit! We shall feast and get to know our new friends better.”

“Unless you want the food to get cold.” Sam said, setting the plates down in the table’s center.

"A warm dinner is by far better than a cold one," Bucky said while moving to take his seat.

Steve was quick to sit down next to Bucky with a smile, and Tony rolled his eyes, flicking his ear as he sat down on Steve’s other side, “Don’t look too eager, Winghead.”

Clint chuckled as he slipped into the seat on Bucky’s other side.

Though Clint sat next to Bucky, the brunet turned most of his attention towards Steve, which had to be expected. The two best friends both thought each other dead, and they finally learned that death had been the furthest from the truth. If part of Bucky's wolf had been showing, his tail would have been wagging very enthusiastically.

“Steak or burger?” Sam asked Bucky and Clint first, “Steve eats like a wild animal, so we make sure everyone else gets what they want first.”

Bucky held back a laugh. "I'll take a steak. And a burger too if I can have both."

“Oh no, another one.” Sam gasped.

Clint chuckled, “Yeah, he eats a lot when he’s able to. I’ll just have a burger.” 

Thor tossed a bun onto Bucky and Clint’s plates for them and Sam placed a burger patty onto Clint’s before also giving Bucky one of each. Then he moved on to everyone else.

"Super soldiers gotta keep up their energy," Bucky said with a shrug. "We have a high metabolism, thanks to experimentation."

“Buck?” Steve frowned at his friend.

"Got tested on a lot. This arm." Bucky held up his mechanical arm. "Was only the start of putting me back together after I fell off that train. Hydra built me up from the inside… I'm basically half robot at this point."

“Do you think I can take a look at your robot bits?” Tony asked, “Robotics is a passion of mine, and I can do maintenance and even improve upon it for you.”

"Ah… maybe after I get to know you better. No offence, but it's…sensitive."

“Steve will vouch for me!” Tony said, grabbing Steve’s elbow and wiggling it as a prompt to do just that.

Steve laughed and peeled Tony’s hands off his arm, “Just give him time. Bucky never even got to know Howard like I did, and you are a bit of an acquired taste.”

Tony gasped in mock offence. “I’m a  _ refined _ taste!”

“Sorry, why are we tasting Tony Stark?” Clint joked.

"Apparently he tastes refined," Bucky joked back, smirking at Clint. "Whatever that means. I'm just a simple kid from Brooklyn. Refined is not a taste I care for."

“I’m an orphan who ran away to join the circus, I don’t even know what ‘refined’ is.” Clint chuckled.

“I’ll be willing to let you find out.” Tony winked.

Bucky held back a growl. "I'd rather not taste another… uh… person…"

Tony shrugged, "Blonds are more my type, anyway. How about you, blondie?"

"Tony, you already have someone in your bed, you know." Steve reminded stiffly. 

"Sure, sure, but possible threesomes if blondie is interested!"

"No, thanks, but I actually already have someone I like." Clint shrugged.

“That someone just happened to help him escape Hydra and stayed out of their sight until he got here,” Bucky mumbled.

Steve gave him a confused look, "But, you're into the dames…"

“Yeah, well… I’ve been more into guys recently… Or, you know, as soon as I was attracted to people.”

"You aren't the only bisexual person from the past, babe." Tony laughed, patting Steve's shoulder, "Not surprised that you two didn't share that little secret seeing as people back then weren't tolerant at all of people like us. Though this does kill the little fantasy I had as a teenager of Captain America having a secret love with his best friend…"

“Didn’t wanna get killed for liking guys back then,” Bucky sighed. “There were already enough people getting killed for who they were, I didn’t want to contribute to that.”

"Didn't stop you from announcing us a couple before we were a couple to that diner waitress in Canada." Clint smirked. 

“Yeah, well, people are safer these days to say stuff like that too.” Bucky smirked back, lightly pinching Clint’s arm.

"You didn't even know if I'd be okay with it. Didn't know I'm gay. I could have been like that asshole at the bar for all you knew."

“It was a spur of the moment thing. Besides, I was struggling with remembering things anyways.”

"You two are adorable." Tony cut in.

“He’s the adorable one,” Bucky said cooly. “I’m the one who’s been transformed by unwilling science experiments. Clint’s naturally adorable.”

"We're both science experiments, I'm just the start of a third grade science fair project while you're a NASA original."

"Steve, can we invite Science fair and NASA into a foursome? You know how much I like science!" Tony wiggled. 

“Tony, you can’t just ask people you’ve just met for a foursome!” Steve sighed, though there was a hint of a smile on his face.

“We’d love to join, but I don’t like to share all that much,” Bucky said to Tony with a smirk. “It’d be more like the four of us in a room but me on the bed with just Clint.”

"Awww, Steeeeve, science doesn't want to bang me."

"That's fine, Steve will bang you plenty later, I'm sure." Nat stated.

“If you were blond I might reconsider, because you’re just as mouthy as Clint is,” Bucky said casually. “You two might get along pretty well the longer we stay here. Not that we plan to stay here forever. We’re still living with Nat.”

"You're going to get your own floor." Tony shrugged "I already like you two."

“You’ve got a place to stay here as long as you need or want,” Nat spoke up. “We know Hydra is after you, so we’re not just going to kick you out once you’ve gotten comfortable. Which, judging by how I found you two earlier today on my living room floor, you’re already pretty comfortable.”

“Hey, it wasn’t on the couch,” Bucky argued. “You just said not on the couch.”

"I'm guessing you're not talking about cuddling." Sam said. 

“We were only kissing,” the brunet said. 

“Right, with a lot of heavy petting,” Nat pointed out.

"Outside the clothes. It's fine. No mess." Clint shrugged. 

“Well you two can do whatever you want once your floor is set up. Be glad I’m not a timid girl.”

“You were never timid,” Bucky said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Nat smiled.

"You even made out with a gay guy in front of his brother just to get him to give us space to chat once." Clint shrugged. 

"Because I'm a good friend, and I want my friends to be happy."

“And now you’re the only girl I’ve ever made out with.” Clint snickered.

“Should I be jealous?” Sam asked.

“Oh, no, that was before we met.” Nat reassured Sam. “Becides, Clint’s completely gay. Kissing me did nothing for him. Him kissing that guy, however…” she glanced over at Bucky, “It starts looking like I’m watching a nature documentary.”

"Clint is far more interesting than a nature documentary," Bucky said, chuckling. 

"The both of you together are more interesting," Bruce spoke up, who had sat next to Thor. "Though I'm biased because I enjoy science more than nature. In certain aspects, that is."

“Nature is made of science.” Thor said, settling a hand on the back of Bruce’s chair, “It can be very enjoyable.”

"I suppose that's true. Science can explain nature, though some parts of nature are too complicated for us to understand yet." Bruce shrugged. "More data, more exploration, that's how we learn."

"Not to interrupt the intelligent talk," Bucky spoke up. "But it seems like the Avengers are more than just friends with each other. Apart from the obvious Steve and Tony."

“Steve and Tony are engaged.” Sam shrugged, “It’s amazing their relationship is still a secret at all from the media. Natasha and I have been dating for fifteen months and three days, and those two are still in denial. Well, Bruce is in denial and Thor is trying to woo him into a date.”

"And Thor really loves Bruce's pies, if you didn't gather that earlier," Nat spoke up. "They're basically dating, they just don't want to admit it yet."

"So long as Thor keeps stealing my pies, we are  _ not _ dating." Bruce pouted slightly.

“See? Denial.” Sam snickered, “Just wait until next time Thor has to go back to Asgard. Bruce will be moping around, refusing to make any pies because there’s no point if Thor’s not here to try and steal them.”

“I have never done that.” Bruce denied.

“Hulk’s more honest than you. He’s very open about being sad that his little hammer man isn’t around.” Sam grinned.

"I'm never gone for that long," Thor said in a sweeter tone. "Only a week at the most. And I bring back fruits for Banner to make pies out of."

"Sounds like just bringing fruit for him isn't enough courting," Bucky said, mostly just thinking out loud.

“Or maybe I’m not the kind of guy people should get close to.” Bruce muttered.

“I doubt that. You’ve got lots of friends here already, and if you’ve done some bad things in the past, well, so have I, and look at me?” Bucky wrapped an arm around Clint’s shoulders. “I’ve got a boyfriend now. The people who love you won’t look at your bad sides if they truly love you.”

“You don’t turn into a giant green rage monster.”

Clint shrugged, “That giant green rage monster has been doing a lot of protecting people. Oh and a kitten once. That picture was in the newspaper a lot. Big giant green rage monster looking so soft as he held a tiny kitten. I’m just saying. Monsters clearly aren’t automatically a bad guy. In my experience, bad guys are usually quite human. Men who hurt their families, sickos who hurt kids, killers who hunt down innocent people just trying to live their lives...big green guys who holds kittens so gently aren’t even close to the bad guy scale.”

“Exactly,” Bucky reassured. “You’re far from most of the monsters we’ve seen. So stop telling yourself that people don’t want to get close to you, because this table shows that’s far from the truth.”

Bruce looked down at his plate, using his fork to chase some peas around as Thor simply beamed happily.

“I’ll not give up until he realizes he’s just as worthy of love as the rest of us!” Thor boomed.

“Big and green or otherwise,” Nat said, gently putting her hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

Bruce shook his head shyly.

“So, when did you two get engaged, and who popped the question?” Clint asked, looking over at Steve and Tony.

“Depends on who you ask.  _ I _ asked him while on a mission about a month ago.” Tony said.

“You were being sarcastic after I saved your suit from being torn apart by punching that—whatever it was in the face, making it drop you.” Steve argued. “I proposed properly a week later with a ring in a romantic setting.”

“Bed. He means our bed, while we were naked and covered in jizz.” Tony snarked.

“Sounds like something you’d do,” Bucky said with a laugh, looking at Steve. “Did you look into his eyes dreamily and ask the question?”

“He sure did. Had a whole speech prepared and everything, the sap.” Tony laughed, “My father would be rolling in his grave if he found out I got engaged to Steve like that. Or if he knew it was to Steve...or that I like to fuck guys…Howard really didn’t know much about me.”

“I barely knew the guy. Worked alongside him a couple times, but Steve knew him better than I ever did. Sounds like he turned out to be a lousy dad.”

Tony shrugged, “He was busy with either work or his search for Steve. He never gave up on trying to bring Steve home, even if he was dead. I think he forgot that he had a wife and son at home.”

“That’s sad. I hope at least your mom didn’t feel too overwhelmed raising you.”

“I was a complete mama’s boy. An absolute delight for her—and a pain in the ass brat for Howard.” Tony shrugged.

"Well I can definitely tell you're Howard's boy. Not to say that in any offensive way. I've known you only today and I like you better than him."

“I’d hope you liked me. I am going to be marrying your bestest best friend in the whole bestie world, after all.” Tony grinned, holding up the hand that had the gold band on it.

"Steve I swear to god if I'm not your best man I will make you regret it the rest of your life." Bucky smirked and playfully punched Steve's shoulder. "Punk."

“Hey, if you think you can just waltz into the modern world and take the best man spot away from me then you can have it!” Sam huffed, “Steve’s surprisingly high maintenance when it comes to anything romantic for Tony.

Steve flushed red, “I just want things to be perfect… and I haven’t asked anyone to be my best man yet.”

“Come on, we all know you would have asked me before old Bucky Barnes came walking in.” Sam smirked, “I’ve been your closest friend since the military charity ball in DC.”

“I’ve already asked Rhodey to be mine.” Tony shrugged, “I assumed you also had asked Sam.”

"Well good, now you have to make a choice," Bucky spoke up again, shoving a piece of steak into his mouth. He was honestly struggling to keep his wolf under control, because even after years of being apart from each other, Steve was still Bucky's best friend, and in his wolf's mind, no one could take the spot of Steve's best friend.

“Of course it’ll be you if you still want to, Bucky. You and me, until the end of the line, remember?”

"Yeah… I remember." The smile on Bucky's face was soft.

Steve smiled, pulling Bucky into a side-hug. “It’s so good to have you back, Buck…”

"I'm glad to be back. Hydra had me for long enough."

“Hydra’s gone on more than long enough. They should have died out with the war.” Steve huffed.

“But you know about them now, and can, you know, go punch them in the face with your shield or whatever it is you do, right?” Clint asked around a mouthful of burger.

“We can go punch them together,” Bucky said, Steve nodding in agreement with him. “We fought them back in the war to stop them from becoming an issue in the future. Now here we are and two of us in this room just escaped from them because they’re still around and still experimenting.”

“Wait, is that wise? I mean, they’re after Bucky. With their needles and serums and cattle prods and guns! We got lucky to get out, and you want to run right back?” Clint asked, clearly worried.

“Eventually, we’ll go back,” Bucky said, trying to reassure Clint while keeping his wolf under control. “Not now, we’re not ready to go back yet. I don’t want to go back to Hydra. They know my trigger words still…”

“They’ll  _ always _ know those. They’re the ones that put those words in your head.” Clint pointed out. He didn’t know everything about the issue, but Bucky had given him the cliff notes version of the issue one night as they lay in their motel room, unable to sleep because of a storm that kept rattling the window and forcing a too-cold draft in under the door. “That’s why we should let the professional superheroes handle it. I don’t want them yanking you out of yourself again.”

“I’d prefer not to fight again, but I will if I need to. I’ve fought Hydra once, I can do it again.”

“You don’t have to, Buck. neither of you. We’ll take care of this and you two can just relax knowing they won't be a problem anymore. It’s just a matter of finding out how many heads we have to cut off, and where they are located. Same as back in the war.” Steve said.

“Yeah, and don’t get injected with anything accidentally…” Bucky slouched a little in his seat. “If they have a tranq gun, run.”

“Hey, Buck, trust me.” Steve said, touching Bucky’s shoulder in comfort. “Everyone on this team knows their stuff. It may take us a while, but we’ll get through this.”

“I’m serious, you don’t want to get shot with a tranq gun that Hydra possesses. You don’t wanna know the shit they’ve been doing recently.” Bucky looked up at Steve, pain in his eyes. “I don’t wanna see more people go through what I went through.”

“We’ll talk later—after we eat, okay? Just you and me, and you can tell me what to be aware of when the time comes.” Steve suggested.

“Okay… I want Clint to come too. He’s important to the conversation…” Saying no more, Bucky shoveled some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Cling shrugged, “Guess that means I come too.” he said before taking a big bite out of what was left of his burger.

“Those two will pretty much be stuck together like glue,” Nat spoke up. “And not just because they’re dating. Just keep an eye on them while they stay here in the tower.”

“Hey, I was going to let Bucky have some bonding time with his old bestie before it was declared I’d be going with him!” Clint defended. “I thought I’d, I don’t know, get to know my best friend’s cute boyfriend more or something.”

“I only need you for the one specific part,” Bucky said. “Then I’d like time with Steve.”

“There, you’ll have more time now to get to know Tony,” Nat said, sounding only slightly amused.

“I meant Sam, Nat.” Clint laughed, nudging her, “You’re my bestie, you know. And, well, only friend seeing as everyone else I trusted all turned on me and handed me over to Hydra in the first place so I guess you get the title of bestie by default but still. I barely know anyone else here, though I’m not opposed to getting to know everyone. Just figured Sam would be dropping by your apartment more often than the others so it’d be good to know the guy first, you know?”

“We can have a little get-to-know-each-other party. You can get to know all of us once the old guys are done chatting with you.” Tony suggested.

Bucky snorted at the old man joke.

“A party sounds nice,” Bruce spoke again. “I can bake some more so we have something to do while we get to know each other. And Thor, you can’t eat anything before it’s baked, got it?”

“Sure, sure, I’ll just taste test the frosting,” the god said with a smile.

Nat’s lips twitched up in amusement, “I’m afraid I can’t join. Fury wants me to report in early tomorrow morning, so I’ll be going to bed. Try not to make too much noise when you and your boy toy go looking for your bed.” she said.

Clint gasped, “I happen to be a master at stealth!”

“You tripped over air two days ago.” she countered, tapping the bruise on his forehead where he’d smashed his face into the wall in trying to catch himself.

Clint gasped, “No one was around to witness that! How did you know? It never happened!”

“My memory banks suggest otherwise, Mister Barton. I can bring up the video clip if you need reminding of the incident.” JARVIS’ voice cut in.

Laughter filled the table, a happy noise that lifted the mood of the previous conversation. 

When dinner was finished, Clint, Bucky, and Steve were excused from helping clean up to have their conversation about what to look out for when going up against Hydra. Bucky was actually nervous to talk, his teeth getting sharper in his mouth out of a slight bit of frustration. He had to cover his mouth at one point as they walked to a balcony to talk, afraid his teeth would actually start sticking out of his mouth. When they got to the balcony, he let out the whine that he had been holding back as he leaned against the railing.

“Hey,” Clint slipped in next to Bucky, gently guiding him to turn and look at him before he tilted his head and pulled Bucky into the crook, right where his scent was strongest and where the bandage still protecting his bite mark was hidden under his sweater. “Steve’s your friend. You don’t have to be so nervous.” It was clear the omega had checked on that little hint of emotion that came from Bucky through their bond.

Steve stood back, watching the couple in slight confusion and curiosity.

"I know…" Sighing, Bucky lifted his head and turned his attention to Steve while still holding Clint close. "I originally just had my body built back to by Hydra, but they started doing new tests that were as unethical as you can imagine. They tested so many before they got to me. Took me out on a mission in the Russian forest and shot me with what I thought was just a tranquilizer. Passed out, and when I woke up… I was a… a wolf…"

“Aw, wolf secret, no…” Clint slumped, “I thought we agreed to mess with the Avengers with that before telling them.

"Sorry," the brunet apologized. "I just… he needed to know that I'm not the same Bucky he used to know… I'm not the same, I've been through hell and back, being tested on even after they shot me up with wolf DNA. Cut me open so many times as both human and wolf. I don't feel human anymore, and it fucking sucks."

“I don’t understand.” Steve said slowly, “What do you mean you were a wolf?”

"Hydra turned us into werewolves, Steve. And that triggered a lot of shit that's hard to explain because it's all more like a damn fantasy novel than reality." Bucky sighed. "If you want proof, I'll have to shed my clothes. Not gonna rip my new clothes."

“What?” Steve blinked, stunned and not seeming to understand what they were saying.

Clint sighed and stepped back as he handed Bucky his aids, already shedding his clothing until he was standing there naked in the cold wind. Steve looked scandalized by the fact that his best friend’s boyfriend was so willingly naked out on the balcony. And then the naked man was a wolf with blond fur, the bandage on his bite mark dangling uselessly off a patch of fur. It annoyed him and he shook until it fell off before he moved over to Steve, who was looking fully freaked out, and sniffed at his hand.

“What the fuck.” Steve cussed.

"Well… I wasn't going to have you shift," Bucky said to Clint while moving to pick up the clothes that were carelessly tossed. "But there you have it, there's your proof we're werewolves."

“What the fuck.” Steve repeated, slowly kneeling down to look at Clint and touching Clint’s furry ear cautiously before he looked back up at Bucky, “Buck, your boyfriend turned into a dog, what the actual fuck?”

Clint snorted out in amusement, his tail wagging.

"Wolf," Bucky corrected. "And I can do that too. Only I look more like a wolf because I'm an alpha and he's an omega."

“Buck, I—Fuck, I just can’t wrap my head around this. Why would they do this? How? Can Clint understand me when he’s like this?”

"Pretty sure they're testing a theory on secondary genders. Yes, I know how fucked that sounds. They inject people with modified animal DNA to get results like this. So far Clint and I have been the most successful experiments, and we're both wolves so that shows Hydra that the wolf DNA works the best. And yeah he can understand you."

Clint gave a playful nip at Steve’s too-tight shirt before licking his arm and dancing back to Bucky’s side, nuzzling against his hip before he shifted human again and started grabbing at his discarded clothes to pull them back on quickly. “Our wolf instincts are stronger when we are in wolf form, but we are still us.” he said as he put his aids back in.

"We can communicate as wolves but not with other humans. We look and behave like normal wolves to humans, so that's how we easily slipped across the border to get into America again. There's pros and cons to being a wolf, but we were changed unwillingly for both of us. So when you're fighting Hydra again, stay away from their guns. You saw their guns in the war… so don't underestimate them now."

“Or any needles. They just injected me with the wolf shit directly while I was strapped to a table.”

“Language.” Steve said absently.

Clint snorted, “Says the guy who was spouting the word ‘fuck’ like it was going out of style just moments ago.”

“My point is,” Bucky said, clearing his throat. “Don’t get turned into a wolf on me, Stevie. I’m already a mess having to deal with myself as a wolf, seeing you turn into one won’t help… though ripping out people’s throats is rather satisfying as a wolf…”

“That, and if you’re another alpha, we don’t know how his wolf would react to you. Hydra seemed to think that had I been an alpha myself there would have been blood when they had us meet.” Clint said, “I happened to be an omega so we fell into a natural he leads, I follow, we escape type dynamic.”

“I’m confused on the alpha and omega part,” Steve admitted, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his best friend was now part wolf.

“The secondary gender part I told you about that is kinda hard to explain.Basically humans used to not just be male or female or whatever they identified as. Underneath that was a secondary gender that labeled people as alphas or omegas. It’s kinda like the wolf alpha and omega, only with more complicated parts. Basically alpha humans ruled society or whatever crap Hydra tried to believe while omegas stayed home and did chores all day. Bunch of mumbo jumbo that doesn’t mean anything today. Hydra is doing all these tests to bring back those secondary genders, and they were successful with Clint and I.”

“They mentioned to me that I was their first omega. There were others they had tried on that were not successful like Bucky and I and they were all alphas or betas, I suppose, which are basically no change from how humans are now. They just weren’t successful ‘experiments’ because they either died or turned fully animal and lost all traces of their humanity. Couldn’t even change back into human form or something.”

“I still don’t—”

“From what I’ve learned since escaping, secondary genders kinda evolved to be super recessive in humans. People still have the genes for them but they no longer activate during puberty or whatever because the base male-female ratio was enough to keep the species going and they didn’t need the added alpha-omega dynamic.” Clint shrugged, “If everything I read up on is true you can think of alphas as mega-men, even if they are in fact women. Having an increased ability to impregnate their mates—erm, partners? Sorry, my inner wolf likes to use the word ‘mate’. Anyway, omegas are the opposite, being like the mega-women, even if they are dudes. High chances of getting pregnant and all that. And apparently they have heats like dogs have or whatever. I haven't had a heat at all yet, though.”

“I told you it was complicated,” Bucky said after Steve still had a confused look on his face. “At least remember to not get turned into a wolf, because I’m almost certain you’d end up as an alpha, and I really don’t want to fight with you just because you’re suddenly an alpha.”

Clint nodded, “I think so too. When I was in wolf form sniffing you, there was the slightest urge in my wolf to submit but also not because you’re not Bucky, so I think that your super soldier serum at least somewhat brings out your secondary gender, at least enough for it to be detectable to my wolf form. I never got that from anyone else before so it has to be part of what your secret serum does to your body.”

Steve nodded, looking less confused but still a little. “Okay, well… I’ll try not to get caught by Hydra, then. Life sounds a lot more complicated when you’re a werewolf.”

Bucky shrugged. “Eh, it’s not so bad when you’re not being controlled by Hydra. Being their version of a wolf was way worse.”

“He’d know. I was the lucky bastard that escaped before I could experience more than just being turned into a wolf for the first time. Let me tell you, you should know that you’re up shit creek without a paddle if the mad scientists that had you strapped to a table and screaming from an injection suddenly brings you a raw steak for lunch.” Clint said, rocking back and forth from the balls of his feet to the heels and back.

“They really did that? Good god, Hydra needs to be taken care of for good,” Steve said with a sigh. “I’m sorry you two had to go through that, but I’m glad you’re here now and you’re safe from them.”

“They won’t find us here, hopefully,” Bucky muttered. “As long as we get to stay here, I don’t want to go anywhere else where I know it isn’t safe.”

“Apart from little trips out to where we can let our wolves run. Our wolves don’t like being cooped up. Nat said she’d take us to the beach sometimes. We have collars so we can pretend to be dogs and not freak people out.”

“If Nat isn’t around, I’d be willing to take you guys. Don’t want you two to feel cooped up here in the tower.”

“Thanks,” Bucky said with a smile. “Oh and don’t tell anyone else about us being wolves. So Clint can keep up his prank ideas.”

“My lips are sealed.” Steve made a motion of zipping up his lips.

“Yay!” Clint wiggled. “You two ready for me to go inside and let you two catch up now?”

“You can go back inside now,” Bucky said softly, smiling at Clint.

“Okay, I’ll go meet all the superheroes inside, have fun walking down memory lane with the guy who can actually help fill in some blanks.” Clint popped a kiss onto Bucky’s cheek before disappearing inside, leaving the two soldiers alone for the first time since the 1940’s.

“So, he seems—adorable, really.” Steve said, gesturing back to the sliding door back into the tower as he moved to lean against the railing and look out over the city below.

“Isn’t he? He’s a delight to be around, I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find him at the Hydra facility.” Bucky smiled.

“What’s the purple things he puts in his ears? Headphones? Tony told me there are wireless ones that would be easier to take on my morning runs, but I’m afraid they’d get lost without the wires.”

“They’re hearing aids, actually. He lost his hearing a while back, so now he wears those. They’re much more convenient compared to what we had back in the 40’s.”

“Really? Those little things? No box? I mean, it makes sense when you think about it, but I guess I never thought about it before.” Steve let out a laugh, “I’d be willing to bet that within a week of finding out, Tony’ll be working on something that’ll blow those hearing aids out of the water. He loves little projects and challenges. I have to drag him to bed most nights.”

“Yeah, those hearing aids are probably the cheapest we could find. We had to find something quick so we could leave Canada. We packed up literally the day he got those. His old ones were lost when he got captured by Hydra.” The bunet looked at Steve, forgetting that the blond was now taller than him by a few inches. “So… you’re not straight either, huh?”

Steve shook his head, “Always leaned towards the gents. I think Peggy was the only dame to really catch my interest in that way.” Steve admitted, glancing over at Bucky, “Had a thing for you the longest time. It was the only thing I was too afraid of admitting, even to myself. I was glad when I found Peggy. Helped me get over you and realize I loved you more as a brother. Had no idea you were into gents as well. Not with how popular you were with the dames.”

Bucky chuckled lightly. “Jeez Steve, you should have said something. I was into you too for a bit before the war started. You’re definitely more of a brother to me, though, now that I think back on it. And I also have a boyfriend now, so your chance has passed. Not that you’re upset by that because you literally have a fiancé now.”

“I do, and he’s a stubborn little shit. I adore him.” Steve grinned. “And for the record, I did not propose to him when he was a mess. Naked, yes, but I had cleaned us both up with a damp cloth before I pulled out the ring.”

"There we go, that sounds more like you. Was he sappy when you proposed? Because he seems really self absorbed."

“It’s an act he puts on to protect himself. He’s sensitive and soft under all his armor. He’ll never admit it, but he cried when I put the ring on his finger. Then instantly became incredibly clingy. Spent a full day in bed together, mostly cuddling.” Steve smiled.

“Cute. It’s nice to see you finally settling down, even if you still go out and fight as an Avenger.”

“I don’t think it’s in my nature to stop.” Steve shrugged, “But I’ll have Tony at my side the whole time. I think that’s what’s important. To have someone at your side no matter what happens. When I first woke up after being found in the ice, I was so lost and lonely, Buck. I didn’t know how to even  _ start _ to cope. The world had completely changed, everyone I’d ever known was gone. I met people, made friends, had people I worked with, but I still felt like an outsider looking in...until I met Tony.” He let out an amused huff of laughter, “Tony and I didn’t get along at first. We clashed and argued, and wanted to rip each other apart. I refused to put up with his shit and he refused to put up with mine, and little by little, I started to realize that when he was around I stopped feeling lost and like an outsider. He wasn’t treating me like an old relic full of cracks or a national icon to be admired. He treated me as a person. Something I hadn’t realized I was lacking. And after that I started realizing that the person he presented himself to be was just another layer of armor. We became friends, and I’m not sure when that changed but it became so much more, and now I plan to spend the rest of my life at his side.”

“I’m glad you found someone, Stevie. I know you and Peggy were close, but you’re with someone now who you actually love, and it’s nice to see you in love, to be honest.” Bucky smiled, tucking his hair behind his ears.

“I’m so in love. Quite sappy of me, really.” Steve laughed, “I hope it’s like that for you and Clint. You deserve it, Buck.”

“So far it’s been nice. I’d…like to think that we’re really involved in our relationship and this isn’t just because Hydra changed our bodies and our hormones.” Bucky shook his head. “Can’t think like that, I suppose. That’ll just end up badly for both me and Clint.”

“You both could have chosen to split up and go separate ways after escaping.” Steve said, “And he seems completely smitten when he’s around you. I don’t think it’s just because of shared trauma.”

“That’s good. Nice to have an outside view to know it’s real.” The brunet chuckled. “Clint’s got a mouth on him, just like Tony seems to have. I guess we have a somewhat similar type.”

Steve laughed, “Except when it comes to looks. I have a thing for brunettes while you seem to have a thing for blonds.” he smirked, “Speaking of hair, what’s going on with that? Where’s your sexy forties-boy cut?” he asked, reaching over to lightly tug on the loose lock of hair that Bucky had tucked behind his ear.

“Got sad, too tired to cut it, and Hydra never cared about how I looked, so I didn’t care. It looks better now than when I did growing out. Looked stupid and shaggy.”

“You going to keep it long, princess?” Steve teased.

“Of course I am, punk, Clint loves to tug on it when we romp. No way in hell I’m getting a haircut except to keep it maintained.”

“Oh I see, you got yourself a hair puller and you like it, hu?” Steve continued teasing as he nudged Bucky’s shoulder with his own.

“Hey I didn’t think I was into it. Maybe it’s just my wolf talking, but after Clint tugged that first time, I was hooked.” Bucky smirked and bumped Steve’s shoulder back. “And what about your eye candy? He got little quirks in bed that you like?”

Steve laughed, “That little piece of candy has kinks I’ve never even heard of even after bunking down in the war with a bunch of touch-starved soldiers yearning for their gals back home. He’s still surprising me with things to try to see if it’s something we both would like to do.”

“Interesting, so he likes a whole bunch of things. Not a bad catch, Stevie, I don’t know how you managed to snag Howard’s boy as your fiancé.”

“I don’t either, but I’m not going to let him slip through my fingers.”

“Good on you.” Bucky fell silent for a bit, watching the city life down below as he chewed on his bottom lip. Something in him wished to have the old New York back, to go back to his original lifetime and live out his life as it was supposed to be lived, but at the same time he knew he would miss having Steve around, and he would miss meeting Clint and falling in love, real love, for the first time. Sighing, he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You ever miss old New York?” he asked eventually as a chilly wind blew between the two friends.

“Nearly every day.” Steve nodded, “But there are parts I don’t miss at all. Like the rampant homophobia that kept us both too afraid to even let each other know we were into the fellas. The world was simpler back then, but not at all tolerant of the people who didn’t fit the mold. The world still has a long way to go, but it’s better. It’s legal for dames to marry dames and gents to marry gents now.”

“Really? Hell, that’s fantastic. I never thought that’d ever happen. People were so negative against gays back then, how the hell did people change their minds?” Bucky shook his head incredulously. “I guess that doesn’t matter, but still, I’m impressed. I just thought people were more tolerant now, but people like us are getting the rights we should have had a long time ago.”

“I find it’s easier to live in the modern day when remembering stuff like that.” Steve smiled, “And having Tony helps a lot too… So I think as long as you focus on the good parts of modern life and the fact you have Clint in your arms, you’ll find a way to fit in. Plus now we have each other to lean on when we just need a little blast from the past or someone who understands what unexpected time travel by ice to the future is like.”

The brunet laughed at Steve's comment. "We really are a couple of 100 year olds who like to reminisce about the good old days. My god, we've turned into our grandparents."

“I disagree. Our grandparents never had adorable young boyfriends keeping them feeling young.”

"Valid point. Our grandparents would think it scandalous for us to have boyfriends."

“Exactly. And technically, I’m marrying a billionaire. I shouldn’t have room to complain about the inflated price of milk these days.” 

“Milk prices are a lot higher than what I remember. Downside of the future, everything costs a lot more.”

“Don’t get me started on gas prices.” Steve chuckled. “We should go for a walk around Brooklyn together sometime.”

“I’d love that. See what’s changed. Find some good food shops around to visit when we feel like living in the past again.”

“See if any of the shops and businesses we used to know are still around.” Steve nodded. “It’s something people have suggested I do but I just didn’t feel like I could handle it. Not alone. But with you there...i think it’d be a good experience.”

Bucky nodded. “It’s always more enjoyable to do things with a friend. Especially if that friend is also a 100 year old man who slept on ice a lot.”

“Amazing how we don’t look a day over thirty.” Steve snickered.

“Maybe sleeping in ice is the secret to looking young even when you’re old as balls.”

Steve laughed, “Well, it worked for the two of us. But I’d like to just ride life out and grow old with Tony now. No more ice naps.”

“Yeah, no more ice… I didn’t even get to stay in the ice for consistent amounts of time. I got taken out for missions, then as soon as they were done with me, they froze me up again, and I had no say in the matter.”

“Well, no more of that. Now you get to sink into a soft bed with Clint. At least, I assume you two are sharing a bed already.”

“Oh yeah, we had to share a bed since we found a motel to stay at in Canada. We were fake dating I guess, so had to keep up that look until we actually started dating.”

Steve stared at Bucky before letting out a sharp laugh, “You fake-dated him? Really? Jesus, Buck, are you trying to live in a cheesy romance novel?”

“No! But stuff like that keeps happening and here I am with my first official boyfriend and I don’t think I’ll ever have another one.”

“You’re adorable when you’re in love.” Steve grinned, “I’ll have to spend some time with this guy. Got to be friends with my best friend’s best boy.”

"I think you'll like him. He's amazing, but I think he'd be really good in missions too... Not that I think your team would let us fight with you. I just think he'd make a good mission partner." Bucky shrugged. "I don't know," he said in a quiet voice.

“Are you wanting a life like that?” Steve asked, “One where you still stand up to fight?”

"I just don't want to sit by and watch when I can help people stay safe."

“And you think Clint would be a good mission partner? I know the skills you had in the war, and Hydra used you so I’m guessing your skills have evolved, but I don’t know anything about what Clint can do. Other than turn into a wolf, of course.”

“He’s an archer. I’ve seen him shoot, he’s dead on every time. He could be useful from a distance, or up close really. He has sharp eyes, never misses a target.”

Steve raised a brow and quirked the corner of his mouth, “Are you saying he’s a better shot than you?”

“Undoubtedly, and you know I never say that about anyone.” Bucky looked at Steve, his expression neutral. “I’m serious about him, Steve. He’s really good, and he could be useful to the Avengers.”

“Then if he wants to, we can look into him joining the team—both of you joining the team.” Steve said.

“I… don’t know about myself. I don’t trust myself around weapons right now. But Clint could definitely be used on the team. I’d even say he needs it. He grew up in a circus that wasn’t the best. Criminal records and all that. His own brother called up Hydra to take him away. He needs a better life, and… well, this is me giving it to him after all the shit he’s been dragged through.”

“You both will have a better life, Buck. regardless of if either of you join the team or choose to stay civilians. I’ll personally help you two find a life you’ll be happy with.”

“Thanks, Steve… I missed you a lot, you know.”

“I missed you too, Bucky.” Steve pulled him into another hug. “...You know, after I thought I lost you for good...I discovered the serum won’t let me get drunk.”

"Seriously? Bummer, we can't get drunk at the bar anymore." Bucky laughed while hugging Steve tight.

“Nope, but we can take our boys dancing now. Make it a double date. Make up for that time after the Stark Expo when I left you hanging with both girls wanting to dance?”

The brunet chuckled. "Sure, punk. I didn't like those girls very much anyways."

Steve smirked, “And this time we’ll  _ both  _ be getting laid after.”

"Oh my god, Tony has changed you," Bucky said while laughing and shoving away from Steve. 

“And no one will believe you if you start saying I said something like that.” Steve grinned.

"You're literally the worst. I can't tell anyone now and I'm going to suffer being the only one who heard Steve Rogers, Captain fucking America, say he was going to get laid excitedly."

Steve only grinned wider, “Oh, did I say such a thing?”

"You're more than a punk now, you know. Making me suffer like this isn't very Captain America of you, but think of it this way. If you tell everyone that Clint is a wolf, they'll never believe you on that, so we're even."

“Unless he’s changed into a wolf anywhere JARVIS has seen and therefore has video proof of.” Steve grinned. “But don’t worry about all that. I promised I wouldn’t tell, and I won’t unless something happens where the team needs to know about the two of you being classic horror monsters.”

"Clint really wants to pull a prank on everyone with at least one of us being a wolf randomly without telling anyone. He thinks it'll be hilarious, and I honestly think it'll be pretty funny to see everyone's faces. I felt like you needed to know, though, because sure Nat knows, but I feel better with you knowing as well. I have someone close to go to when Clint isn't available.".

“Do you like belly rubs?” Steve asked.

“What a ridiculous question, Steve, I will never admit if I like them or not. Just because I’m part wolf doesn’t mean I still have to act like a human while I’m a wolf.” Bucky smirked.

Steve raised an eyebrow, "Alright, then I guess I won't offer you a belly rub when you're a wolf and can't verbalize your consent." He smirked. 

"If I'm belly up and wagging my tail, I will not be happy if you don't do anything about it."

"Need you to say it, Buck."

Steve Rogers was a little shit, no matter how broad his shoulders got. 

Bucky groaned. “Fine… if you see me wanting belly rubs, give them.”

Steve smiled, "You'll get as many belly rubs as you want. Oh! Do you have a wolf form name? You know, so I can help keep the secret. Also Clint."

“I called Clint Pizza once when we went to a pet store.”

Steve looked unimpressed, "You two need to discuss proper wolf names for Natasha and I to call you."

“Come on, Pizza is a great name for a dog! I came up with it on the fly, and it was convincing enough.”

"I still think I'll ask Clint what he wants his wolf-dog name to be."

“My money is still on Pizza.”

"Why Pizza?"

“Clint loves pizza. So his wolf name is Pizza. That simple.”

"I'm beginning to think you're bad with naming things." Steve teased, "Come on, let's go see what the others are up to."

“Why do you think I call you punk all the time?” Bucky laughed as he and Steve went back inside to find the rest of the Avengers and Clint.

The main community room was full of laughter as Clint danced around, balancing along the back of the couch with Thor and Sam acting as counterbalance on the cushions so it wouldn't tip over, and juggling seven of the blown glass balls that Tony's friend Pepper had placed in a bowl for decoration on the coffee table. 

“Wow,” Steve said as he and Bucky entered the room. “He’s talented.”

“He’s a people pleaser,” Bucky nearly muttered. “Pretty sure he got that way because of his past. But he’s damn talented while also being a people pleaser.”

“He claimed he ran away as a kid to join the circus.” Bruce said, “We called bull because that’s so cliche that it can’t possibly be true, right? Well, then he started doing  _ that  _ and now I think we were wrong and he really did run away to join the circus.”

"He was in the circus," Bucky said, stepping forward with a smile. "He's a great archer, never misses."

“Darn right I never miss.” Clint grinned, tossing the glass balls at people to catch before hopping down off the couch, “Get too cold outside?” he asked, wrapping his arms around Bucky.

“Nah, just wanted to check to see if you were tearing up the place yet.” Bucky smirked and ruffled Clint’s hair.

“Always. Look at this place! A total mess!” Clint joked with a grin. Looking around, the only ‘mess’ to be seen was how Clint’s shoes and socks were in a pile on the floor by the couch, the glass balls already having been put back in their bowl.

“So messy, maybe you should learn to not be so messy.”

“If you two start getting heart eyes at each other, please make it to your bedroom first,” Sam spoke up rather loudly.

“We’d never get to leave the bedroom if we had to keep it to our bedroom.” Clint said, tipping his head back and bending backwards to look at the people behind him with a smirk.

“You show off a lot,” Bucky said, amused.

“With that flexibility?” Tony hummed happily. “I bet you can get all sorts of angles in bed.”

“Gotta keep things interesting so he sticks around long enough for possibly doing that ring thing you’re doing with that guy.” Clint grinned, waving toward Steve.

“I don’t think you’ll ever have trouble with that. You seem to keep him happy enough, I doubt it’ll take long for a ring to come around.”

“I don’t want to rush it. Just, you know, keep him interested.” Clint shrugged, straightening up and smiling at Bucky.

“I’ve been interested since the day we met,” Bucky said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“There’s the chance at becoming uninterested, and I don’t want that.” Clint shrugged “I’d like to keep what we have together.”

“I doubt I’ll ever become uninterested, because as far as I know, this isn’t just because we’ve spent all our time together since we escaped.”

Clint smiled before pulling him into a kiss.

“Young love is truly a beautiful thing to behold!” Thor grinned.

* * *

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

“I didn’t think this would feel weird, but it kinda does now that I’m doing it.”

Steve held tightly to the leash that was attached to Bucky’s collar, trying to hold back the wolf that was very clearly excited to get to the beach. He, along with Nat, were walking Bucky and Clint so the two could stretch their legs a bit and not worry about Hydra while they got their exercise. The two wolves pulled at their leashes like normal dogs did when they got excited, which came as a surprise to both Steve and Nat, but they managed. Bucky and Clint knew not to use all their weight against the leashes. Getting choked up by collars wasn’t as sexy as it sounded when they were both wolves.

“I swear these two are acting like actual dogs,” the blond commented while adjusting the fake glasses he wore as part of a disguise. Both he and Nat were wearing more civilian clothes to hopefully blend in and not get stopped on their way to the beach.

“Pretty sure mine is still a puppy with how he reacts to seeing birds.” Nat said with a hint of a smile. “I bet you never imagined you’d be walking your best friend on a leash. How’s it feel, Cap?”

“Very strange, but honestly not the strangest thing I’ve done. At least Bucky isn’t dodging around as much as Clint is, but he’s pulling pretty hard.”

“We’re almost to where we can let them loose.” she said, giving a tug to Clint’s leash. Clint looked back at her, “Don’t go into the water. It’s freezing and you’ll regret it.” she said. Clint seemed to roll his eyes at her.

“That goes for you too, Buck,” Steve said.

The bigger wolf just huffed and tugged harder at his leash.

“It’s the middle of winter, you don’t want to get hypothermia, or even a cold. No water today.”

Clint huffed and looked over at Bucky, ‘ _ I say we go in the water just to annoy them. We can turn human in the car, anyway. We brought plenty of blankets in the back seat as well as our clothes. _ ’

_ ‘A quick dip won’t bother anybody,’ _ Bucky agreed, making a sort of laughing noise as he panted.  _ ‘Besides, we’re wolves, we’ve got fur that’s specialized to keep us dry and warm.’ _

‘ _ Yup! _ ’ Clint wagged his tail and tugged more on his leash to pull Nat along a little faster.

She sighed, taking larger steps but refusing to jog or run. “You have no patients, pup.”

Steve smiled. “We’ve had these guys around for a week already and it’s odd to see how much of a puppy Clint still is, in terms of werewolves. Bucky must have gotten the wolf serum a lot earlier than Clint did.”

“Clearly.” She smirked at him like she knew exactly how much older Bucky’s wolf was compared to Clint’s. “Uhg, Clint! Don't go sniffing there! Ew!” she gasped, noticing him moving towards a garbage can.

“Hey, it’s new and interesting, I’m sure Clint never got to sniff trash cans as a wolf until now.”

“Don’t encourage him, Steve. Please. Or else we’re trading leashes and you can walk the puppy.”

“I think I can handle a puppy. I’m a super soldier holding back a super soldier wolf. Clint would be easier.”

“Oh?” She held up the end of Clint’s leash in a challenge.

Bucky’s ear flicked back briefly, a sign that not Steve or Nat could know that he was listening, and so was Clint. Their leashes were traded, and Bucky tugged on his leash a little harder, chuffing as he did so.

Clint, on the other hand, dug his paws in and sprinted forward as soon as Steve had a good grip on his leash, successfully dragging the stumbling man behind him with a yelp of surprise.

Nat laughed as Steve was dragged along, but she didn’t have much time to enjoy her laugh, as Bucky took off after Clint, barking and yipping excitedly as the beach finally came into view.

Once Clint’s paws hit sand, he stopped and Steve, who was trying to keep up, not fall, and making an attempt at slowing Clint down wasn’t prepared for the sudden stop and he fell into the sand himself. Clint barked out a laugh and licked the man’s cheek as Steve grumbled and unclipped the leash from his collar, freeing him to run and play as much as his little wolf heart desired.

Bucky barked excitedly as Nat held him back from running into the sand. She was only holding him back to be able to unhook his own leash, but a large excited dog was always hard to hold back. Nat was lucky to finally get the leash unhooked, and then Bucky was taking off after Clint, barking more as they raced each other across the beach.

“Jesus, I thought he’d never let me take off his leash,” the redhead said while watching the two wolves take off.

“I got sand in my mouth…” Steve sighed.

“Yeah well my arm was almost ripped off, thanks to your best friend.” Nat sighed. “We shouldn’t have switched leashes. I swear they plotted against us.”

“Switching them around was your idea, they probably just decided to take advantage of it.” Steve brushed sand off himself and looked out at the two wolves that were running full speed through the sand, disturbing seagulls into flight and kicking up sand in their wake.

“At least they look happy. I can almost guarantee that they’re going to get in the water at some point.”

“They’ll regret it if they do. It’s December.” Steve sighed, shoving his gloved hands in his coat pockets.

“Yeah, but we know them better than anyone else. I know Clint will go in the water, and Bucky will follow without so much as a second thought.”

“Why do you think Hydra would do this to them?” Steve asked, not looking away from the two werewolves.

"Other than to play god, I haven't the slightest clue. You know I was trying to look into that when I met Clint. Bucky was just a bonus when I was researching."

“Met Clint the first time or after Hydra had messed with him?” Steve asked, moving with her over to a bench to sit and wait for their friends to wear themselves out.

"Well I was looking into Hydra when I met him at the circus. I watched over him because something just didn't seem right about his situation. He didn’t quite seem to fit in in that shady circus, and I had the feeling he had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. Not that I knew yet how deep it all went. It seemed just a stray thread to follow that wouldn’t lead far. Now… Hydra got to him and he's part wolf now."

Steve nodded, “I think we need to look back into that circus. It’s clear they have connections to Hydra, but we need to know how deep those connections are. If they are just allies or if they are another head masquerading as a carnival.”

Nat made a noise of agreement. "The sooner we can get Hydra figured out, the better. Our boys have had tough enough lives already, they deserve to be like they are now; happy and wildly in love."

“Bucky wants us to give Clint a chance to join the team. Think he’d be a good fit?”

"He absolutely would. He'd fill the coms with so much chatter about random crap, you'll learn to love him even more on missions."

Steve nodded, “We’ll have to see him do a training run so the team can put it to a vote, should Clint want to join the team, that is.”

"What about Bucky? He say anything about wanting to join the team?"

“Yes, but also no.” Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “He said he wants to help people, to make up for the things Hydra forced him to do, but he also said he didn’t know if he could trust himself…”

"After what Hydra did to him, I can't blame him. The guy had been through so much, I'm not surprised he had trust issues now."

“I don’t know what to do to make things better for him.” Steve admitted.

“I know… The both of them have hard lives that are difficult to make better. They’re extremely lucky they found each other when they escaped Hydra.”

"I can hardly believe he's here. I still have nightmares of when he fell off that accursed train…"

“He’s here now. Maybe those nightmares will stop a little.” Nat gently put her hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I know it’s tortured you for years, but he’s here and alive. You don’t need to worry about him being gone anymore.”

Steve shook his head, "I'm having them more often, just like after it happened. Only difference is that JARVIS will inform me when I ask that Bucky is safe in his bed on your floor."

“Maybe you’d feel better if he stayed on your floor for a night or two.”

"You think he'd put up with Tony's shenanigans?"

“You could switch Tony out for Bucky for a night. Give Tony the time to get to know Clint more.”

"I guess I'd have to ask…"

“Do it, you might feel better. Plus Bucky is a giant dog now, and dogs most often make people feel better.”

"I've always liked dogs...was allergic to them before the serum. Bucky might indulge me." He chuckled. 

"I'm sure he'd like to spend whatever time with you that he can get. He's been without you as long as you've been without him, so I'm almost certain he has nightmares as well."

Steve nodded and looked over at the two playful wolves again before grimacing, "They're in the water."

The redhead sighed. "Of course they are… good thing they have to walk back home cold and wet. Maybe they'll learn their lesson."

"“They put a few blankets in the van, actually."

“Smart boys. Still, they have to endure the walk back to the van in the cold.”

"Don't tease them until afterwards. I get the feeling that Clint is the type to share his cold wetness."

“He’s keeping a towel around him all the way back to the tower. I won’t be smelling like wet dog when I get home.”

"The van will. Don't tell Tony." Steve laughed. 

"What he doesn't know won't kill him," Nat said, smiling.

“Good. He doesn’t know about those two, and he still has that no pets rule. A rule that I’ve informed Clint of for his pranking plans.”

"He's really going to scare the shit out of someone one day by lounging on the couch as a dog, and I hope JARVIS gets good footage of it."

“JARVIS is actually in on it. He agreed to support the wolfish fun by not confirming to anyone about the presence of any wolves. Gotta ask specifically for Bucky or Clint.” Steve chuckled. “Who knew an AI could choose to play along with silly pranks. But I suppose that means he’ll be keeping the files of successful prank footage for later.”

"I can see it now, Tony asking 'What is this?' and JARVIS responding with 'That is a wolf'."

“It’ll be great. And you and I are the only ones who know what’s going on.” Steve chuckled, “Maybe if I come in when Tony sees one of them I’ll ask if he got me a puppy.”

Nat laughed. "That'll be perfect, please do that."

“I’m curious how he’d react.” Steve chuckled, “If he’d freak out over a wolf being there or if he’ll start joking with me about the ‘puppy’.”

"I'm betting he'll freak out of the clear animal in his tower after having the no animals rule."

“Think wolf-form Clint could get Tony to change his mind? Clint’s a sweet pup when he’s not dragging me through the sand.”

“Oh he might. He had a way of making people smile, you know that.”

“He’s ridiculously adorable. You know, early this morning I caught him in the community kitchen crouched like a gargoyle on top of the refrigerator. I asked him what he was doing and he told me to shush, he was a fruit bowl just doing normal fruit things before offering me an orange.”

“As strange as that sounds, that’s exactly what Clint is like all the time. Ridiculous and cute and fun to be around. I have no doubt it’s a form of a coping mechanism, but that’s just how Clint rolls.”

“No wonder Bucky fell for him. He probably really lifted Bucky’s spirits after they escaped and started their way towards New York.”

“I have no doubt they both made each other feel better. Bucky was free for the first time in 70 years, and Clint was the perfect person to help him adjust to living a normal life again.”

“You know Clint best, so I suppose you have seen how Bucky’s good for Clint as well, right?”

Nat nodded. “He’s kept Clint grounded, loved him properly for the first time since his mother died. Bucky’s been so good for Clint, I don’t think he realizes just how good.”

“Good, the relationship has a better chance to last for them both then. I’d hate to see them broken hearted.”

“I would too. And I’d go after Bucky for breaking Clint’s heart.”

“As long as you’re aware that I’d go after Clint for breaking Bucky’s.”

Nat smiled. “As you should. We’re their best friends, it’s our job to go after the other.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to. God, I can’t believe Bucky survived that fall from the train...no one could survive that fall…”

“I’m honestly not convinced he did survive. Falling from that height, and losing an arm? Surely Hydra didn’t find him as soon as he hit the ground.”

Steve gestured over to where the two wolves were still splashing around, tackling each other into the waves. “Evidence points to he survived.”

“Clearly. Somehow he’s alive now, and as much as I’d like to learn how he’s alive… I don’t want to force him to relive that part of his life. It was already bad enough.”

“Of course not! I just… I wish I had known...had gotten him away from Hydra so much sooner…”

"You got him once. Saved him at that camp along with hundreds of others during the war. You stopped Hydra before they could do anything much to him then."

“Only to let him fall back into their hands.” Steve shook his head, “I should have caught him—I should have searched for him…”

“You did as much as you could have back then. It was too dangerous for you to go look for him, and you know that. It was close to the end of the war, Hydra was at their most powerful. You would have ended up like him, or worse.” Nat put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up too hard over not looking for him.”

Steve shook his head, “Buck’s practically my brother. He was my last living family, even back then, I should have fought harder for him.”

"You fought to avenge him, didn't you? You fought to honour his memory, as did all the other Howling Commandos."

“Yeah, but that was when he was just dead...not being tortured and used as a lab rat for—for  _ fucked _ up crap, pardon my language. Doesn’t seem right now that I know the truth of what happened to him.”

"Look on the bright side. Now he's happy with a boyfriend, he has his best friend back, and he's escaped from Hydra. He's living the best life he can right now."

“I want it to stay that way. I can’t let Hydra get close to him again.” he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair and knocking his hat off his head.

“Don’t worry, he’s safe with us now, and you know that. Hydra won’t be getting to him any time soon.” Nat crouched down to pick up Steve’s hat, brushing the sand off of it before putting it back on the blond. “Everything is going to be okay now.”

“I hope so.” he looked back out at where the wolves were last playing and started, realizing the two were barreling straight for them, wet fur standing on end after being shaken out, and much closer than expected. A second later the two were leaping at their individual best friends, knocking them back off the backless bench they sat on. And licking at their faces.

Nat and Steve both grunted as they hit the sand, the two wolves covering their faces in cold water and slobber. They were hard to push off, considering they were both full sized wolves, but once Nat and Steve were able to get the two off, Nat had an unimpressed look on her face.

“So glad you two decided to share your wet dog smells and licks,” she muttered as she got up and brushed herself off.

Bucky barked loudly with his tail wagging.

Clint sat back, tail wagging and tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, looking as cute and innocent as a dog could be.

“Are you two ready to go back home?” Steve asked, fishing the leash out of his pocket. It was the purple one, so he handed it over to Nat and took Bucky’s leash, “One bark for yes.”

Clint gave a bark and wagged his tail more.

The two wolves sat patiently, tongues hanging out of the side of their mouths while Nat and Steve clipped their leashes onto their collars, and then began the walk back to the van.

Nat unlocked the van and opened the door to the back seat, letting the two wolves hop up inside before she closed the door, “You want to drive this time, big boy?” she asked, holding up the keys.

Steve smiled and grabbed the keys. “Driving through New York? Yes please!”

“Be my guest.” she smiled before moving around to the passenger front seat and climbing in.

Clint and Bucky were in human form again, pulling on clothes and curling up together under their blankets they brought. “Oh, are you two  _ cold _ ?”

“Eh, not too bad. Colder now than when we were wolves.” Clint shrugged.

“At least as wolves we had fur that was designed to keep us dry and warm,” Bucky said, snuggling into Clint. “The water was nice, you should have joined us.”

“Funny, Barnes, Steve and I don’t have the ability to sprout fur coats whenever we wish.” She smirked.

“I wouldn’t recommend it. You get itchy a lot.”

"Do we need to get you flea medication?"

“I don’t have fleas, Nat,” Bucky said with a smirk. “And I’m up to date on vaccines, thank you.”

"Bucky, I can't find my other sock, did it get hidden in your pile?" Clint asked as he shuffled around looking. 

“Possibly.” Bucky also shifted around, looking for the missing sock while shivering a little. He was definitely ready to have a warm shower when they got back to the tower.

"I'm thinking about going to soak in that hot tub by the pool when we get back, want to join me, love?"

“I would love to,” the brunet said while leaning close to Clint to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Sounds better than the shower I was planning to take.”

"Neat. We just need to see if we have swimming trunks or have to borrow some from someone."

"You both have a pair, I made sure of it when ordering clothes for you both." Natasha said. 

“Fantastic, then we just have to change and go jump in,” Bucky said while lifting his leg, finding the missing sock. “Ah, there you are. Here, Clint.”

"Ah, sock! Nice warm foot sleeping bag!" Clint grinned as he pulled it on.

Bucky smiled and wrapped his blanket around Clint, hugging the blond tight to keep warm. “Now you can’t tease me with icy toes.”

"Wouldn't want to. You'd just go partial wolf and nip at my toes again." 

“Yeah, because you always seem to have cold toes.”

"Cold toes, warm heart, or whatever." Clint shrugged. 

“Warm fur, too.” Bucky hummed as he shoved his nose into Clint’s neck.

Clint hummed and wiggled in closer to Bucky.

“You two want some food before we get back?” Steve asked.

"Please," Bucky responded. "Something warm, and maybe make it taste like pizza."

Steve laughed, “You could have just asked directly to have us go to a pizza place.”

“What, no pizza-flavored salad places?” Clint joked.

"A pizza salad sounds just like a supreme pizza with no bread," the brunet mused.

“I’d prefer meat lover's without the bread. A salad is rabbit food, not wolf food.” Clint shrugged.

“You want a pizza casserole, then?” Bucky asked. “We should try to make that. And any other pizza related foods, since you love pizza as much as you love me.”

"Pizza, dogs, archery, coffee, and Bucky Barnes. Not necessarily in that order."

“Well, good thing I’m two of those already.”

"You've made me the weirdo who dates his dog!" Clint laughed. 

"Well, you did grow up in a circus. Weird was always going to be a part of you." Nat pointed out. 

“Woof.” Bucky smirked and made eye contact with Nat before he leaned in to nibble at Clint’s neck.

Clint let out a small moan, tilting his head to the side to further expose his neck.

Steve’s face flushed a deep red at the sound, “Please don’t start that in the van.”

“Clint can try to be quiet,” Bucky said with a smirk. “But no promises.”

“You do anything more I’m telling Tony you got into one of his cars as soaking wet dogs,” Nat said sternly.

“You wouldn’t! You’d sound like a crazy person!” Clint gasped. “Let me have my pranking fun!”

“I’ll threaten to ruin your pranks if it gets you to stop the heavy petting.”

“I barely nibbled his neck,” Bucky argued. “Didn’t even do anything else.”

“My neck’s just sensitive. Has been since I became a wolf.” Clint added, “But I’m not going to jump his knot just because he gave my neck a little nibble.”

Steve paused, grateful they were at a red light as he could turn in his seat to blink at the couple, “...I’m sorry, his  _ what? _ ”

“I’m a wolf now, Steve,” Bucky said. “Male wolves got knots, as do alphas. Remember that whole alpha and omega conversation we had on the balcony?”

Steve was red as a tomato. “But when you’re human…”

“The light’s green; people are honking, Stevie.” Clint said to prompt the man’s attention back to the road. “Some of the changes to our bodies are present even as human. He knots, and I get wet. We only sort of freaked out when we discovered all that. Our wolves helped us realize it was a normal thing. Feels really good so we don’t mind.”

“It’s a lot of confusing stuff, I know,” Bucky said, seeing Steve’s expression get more and more confused. “We need a day to just sit down and explain everything to you. You’d probably understand us better after we do.”

“Or we could just make you a sex tape to watch.” Clint joked.

“Absolutely do  _ not _ do that,” Nat said loudly while Steve’s face got very red.

“Would you rather a live show, Nat?” Clint blinked, making himself look and sound super innocent.

“Clinton Francis Barton, I swear if you do anything of the sort, I’m making you move into your unfinished floor.”

“Don’t be mean, you’ll make that wrinkle between your eyebrows permanent.” Clint pouted, leaning forward to poke said wrinkle.

Nat scoffed, throwing a hand up dramatically while turning away. “I don’t know how I even became friends with you.”

“Um, adorable and totally kick-ass archer that looks damn fine in purple who was totally your wing man and helped you pick up that one chick that one time?” Clint grinned.

The redhead couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “You’re annoying sometimes, it’s a good thing you actually are adorable.”

“Love you too, Nat.” Clint chuckled and sat back, leaning into Bucky again and tugging their blanket tighter around them.

“Yeah yeah.” Nat chuckled as she righted herself in her seat.

“If we do sit down for a discussion on… everything,” Steve spoke up, “just make sure you’re both comfortable with it. I wouldn't want you two to get upset while talking about what Hydra did to you.”

“I’ve been enduring their treatments for 70 years,” Bucky pointed out. “I’m not really upset by talking about them.”

“Honestly, I associate being a wolf and an omega more with meeting Bucky than what Hydra did to me. To me, what they did was the pain and fear I felt, but the outcome of being changed...Bucky’s been by my side the whole time, teaching me and learning with me. We escaped Hydra so fast after I was taken by them, that they seem so removed from  _ what _ I am. I’ll be fine as long as they stay away from Bucky and I.” Clint shrugged.

“They’ll be as far away as possible with you two staying in the tower,” Nat spoke up. “There’s no way Hydra knows you’re staying there.”

“We hope. And if they do...I hope that JARVIS has a security system in place that keeps them the hell out of our fancy princess tower. JARVIS is our dragon now. Tony should give him a flamethrower.” Clint said.

“JARVIS already has a lot of security measures installed. I’m sure a flamethrower is included somewhere.”

“I’ll have to ask him.” Clint said, “Think he’d show me if he does have one?”

“Possibly. Though you might have to talk to Tony as well. JARVIS is one of the projects he’s most proud of, so I’m sure he’s a bit protective of the AI.”

“JARVIS is a strong independent AI who don’t need no permission to show off his badass flamethrowers!”

“JARVIS is an AI that has specific protocols to follow that Tony has programmed him with. You should still ask Tony before asking to see the flamethrowers.”

“You’re no fun.”

“You’re the fun one,” Nat reminded with a smile.

“Of course I am!” Clint grinned.

“Are you two fully dressed back there?” Steve asked as he pulled into a parking spot, “This pizza place is nice, you need to look like presentable human beings.”

“I guess if clothes are required to enter, we can be fully dressed.” Bucky smirked while pulling away from Clint to finish getting the rest of his clothes on.

Clint pulled on the rest of his layers as well, “Okay, Cap, lead the way to the promised land of pizza.”

Steve nodded and hopped out, waiting for everyone else to join him on the sidewalk before locking the van and leading the way down the street.

“Promise land of pizza.” Steve repeated with an amused shake of the head once they were on their way, “Maybe Buck has a point in naming you Pizza…”

“Clint loves pizza religiously,” Nat spoke up. “I’m surprised his middle name isn’t pizza.”

“I wish my mom had named me Clinton Pizza Barton! So much better than  _ Francis _ . I blame her husband for that one.” Clint shrugged.

“Too bad you’re not named after the love of your life.”

Bucky looked over at Nat with wide eyes.

“Pizza, of course,” the redhead clarified with a smirk.

“Excuse you, I have four loves of my life!” Clint laughed, “My name would be very long if it included them all.”

“Humans have three names each already, what’s another three?”

“Mmm, not human though.” Clint shrugged.

“Alright, Fido, we’ll strip you down to just one name then.”

Clint wrinkled his nose, “Don’t call me  _ Fido _ . Zero out of ten. No likey.”

“Could call you Cujo. You like that better than Fido?”

Clint pouted, shoving an unhappy expression into Bucky’s side, “Make it stop.” he whined, muffled into Bucky’s coat.

“Sure thing, Pizza,” Bucky said with a laugh, pulling Clint closer. “Besides, you’re no Cujo, from what I know of that dog. You’re nicer and fun to love on.”

Clint reached up to flick at Bucky’s ear. “I think my dog name should be something cooler…like Arrow or something.”

“Or something sweet that your alpha will love to call you.”

“Like ‘Pookie’.” Nat smirked.

Bucky grimaced. “Not Pookie. That’s cheesy.”

“Okay, children,” Steve chuckled, opening the door to a pizzeria and holding it for them, “time to move on to debating toppings.”

“Lots of greasy cheese will make me happy,” Bucky said, his attention moving to the smell of pizza coming from the open door.

“Meaty toppings.” Clint added

“So no to vegetarian?” Nat asked.

“Definitely not. I’m not a rabbit, you know.”

“If there’s a single vegetable on the pizza we get, I will demand a new one,” the brunet wolf said. “Lots of meat.”

“Okay, we might as well get this carnivore pizza then,” Steve said, gesturing towards the menu set up just inside the building.

“Sounds perfect.” Clint grinned.

There was a short wait for a table, but they were seated rather quickly. Their drink orders and pizza order was taken (Nat also ordered a side salad), leaving the group to wait and continue their conversations.

"So since you two are wolves now," Steve said once they were seated at their table with their pizza order put in. "I'm guessing you need a lot more meat now."

"Not necessarily just meat," Bucky clarified. "We both need a lot more food in general. Keep up with the metabolisms we have now. You know a thing or two about that."

“Meat just happens to work better for us than other things.” Clint agreed, “Rabbit food offers us very little. We can eat it, but if that's all we eat then we’d never stop eating because it’s just not enough.”

"We need calories." Bucky watched a pizza go by with a waiter, his mouth watering. "And this pizza has to be loaded with them "

Clint hummed in agreement, licking his lips, “That sausage smells so good…”

"So does the pepperoni." If Bucky's tail would have been visible, it would have been wagging excitedly.

"Be patient, our food will be here soon," Steve said with a laugh. "Then you'll be able to wolf it down."

Clint snickered, “Captain America makes dad jokes.”

"I'm not a serious guy all the time," Steve responded with a smile. "I like to make jokes occasionally."

"You made more jokes when you were smaller," Bucky said.

“I just grew up with the history reels and the comic books.” Clint shrugged, “Didn’t expect dad joke levels of humour.”

"He's from the 40's," Nat pointed out. "They had lots of cheesy jokes back then."

"They weren't all cheesy," Steve defended.

“How would I know what humor was back then?” Clint pointed out.

"You literally have a boyfriend from that time period," Nat stated bluntly. "You can't tell me he hasn't cracked jokes with you yet."

“Normal jokes.” Clint shrugged.

"Steve was always the funnier one out of us two," Bucky said with a smile and a shrug.

“I had a lot of time on my hands when I was younger.” Steve shrugged.

"Then you got big and serious and I had to make all the jokes. Seriously, our roles switched after you became Captain America."

“Did it really? I was still the ‘punk’ that kept running off to fight off bullies in situations where I should have been in over my head, and you still followed after me to have my back and make sure I didn’t get myself killed.” Steve said with a fond smile.

"You stole all the girls' hearts after you gained body mass. Not that I  _ really _ cared about that, but still." Bucky smirked.

“Most of them were only interested in my title. Peggy was the only one that actually mattered.”

"You still have that picture of her? Or did that get lost?"

“I have it.” Steve nodded, shifting to dig out his wallet, “It was found when they found me in the ice.” he pulled out the picture, now laminated for protection. A few photos of Tony and one of Bucky before the war also falling out which he gathered after handing the picture of Peggy over to Bucky.

“Is that one of Bucky?” Clint asked, leaning over the table.

Steve chuckled and nodded, handing the picture over to Clint.

“Aww, you look so young and cute and the short hair is uh…dashing? Is that the word you guys used back then?”

"Sure. Shorter hair for guys was the style, not like now where guys can have longer hair if they want. Or if they were held captive by an evil organization run by modern day Nazis. Now, share the rest of those pictures too," Bucky said, smiling as he looked at the old photo of Peggy.

“These—these are Tony.” Steve blushed, holding them a little closer.

"And? They're pictures of your boyfriend, I'd think you'd be proud to show him off to your friends."

“Um…” Steve went redder and shifted through them, pulling out a few and setting the rest down on the table, “You can see those.”

"Oh, I see, Stevie." Bucky laughed as he grabbed the pictures Steve had set down. "You carry those around with you everywhere you go?"

“I—I like them. They help when SHIELD sends me on a blackout mission. Besides, back in the war tons of guys had something for only themselves in their packs…”

Clint snapped his fingers as he figured it out. “Porn!”

"Oh I hope Tony knows you keep those pictures of him in your suit," Bucky said mischievously after laughing.

“Who do you think gave him those high-quality World War Two-style naughty pinups?” Nat casually shrugged, sipping the water that had been passed out before their orders were taken.

Steve gasped at her, “How do—?”

“When will you learn that I know everything?” she smirked.

"He already knows! Oh Stevie, this is great, you know. I'm seeing you break out of your shell just a little more!" The brunet handed back the photos, his smile growing bigger.

“Would you like some naughty pictures, Bucky?” Clint asked with a grin, “Both forms, of course.”

"I wouldn't mind some naughty pics to carry around with me." Smirking, Bucky leaned into Clint.

“I’ll ask Tony to help me with that, then, since he knows how to make good ones.”

“Goodness, Tony and Clint as friends might actually just be a disaster.” Natasha hummed.

“But an entertaining one!” Clint grinned.

"How do we know they're not already friends?" Steve asked, putting away his photos.

“You know how Tony is about his friends.” she pointed out, “He’s not acting like that yet. I think he’s planning a surprise to rope Clint in as a friend in typical Tony Stark fashion.”

"I think they're friends already. They seem like they'd get along quickly."

“We’re coffee buddies.” Clint shrugged, “Both seem to zombie our way to the coffee machine in the morning.”

"That's very true," Steve said with a chuckle. "I'm sure you two will bond over the coffee pot."

“It’s so fancy. I love that thing.” Clint said, “If Tony and I ever break up, I’m taking it in the friendship-devorce!”

"I have a feeling that wouldn't end well," Nat spoke up.

“I’d fight him for it if I had to.” Clint grinned.

"Next thing you know, Avengers Tower will be up in flames over a coffee pot."

“Worth it.”

“Buck, I don’t think we can let our boyfriends end any friendship.” Steve said.

"If they end any friendship, we're doomed," Bucky says while smiling. "They'll want us to stay away from each other."

“I wouldn’t deny you your best friend, Bucky.” Clint said, “Just deny Tony that coffee machine.”

“As long as you’re sharing the coffee machine with me… I think I can handle a friendship breakup.”

“Anything for you, Alpha.” Clint winked, leaning over to press a kiss to Bucky’s cheek.

“I’d prefer to keep our friendship,Buck.” Steve sighed.

“We won’t be having the friendship break up, Stevie,” Bucky said, amused. “We’d just have to sneak out to see each other. Like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Bad idea.” Clint said, “Pretty sure Romeo and Juliet causes like, six people to die, including themselves.”

Nat blinked in surprise, “I’m actually surprised you know that. You’re not exactly a big literary guy, and even of those who do read Shakesphere, far too many still sees that one as just a romance to strive for and not the tragedy it is.”

Clint shrugged, “Mum would read it to Barney and me when dad was out at the bar all night and couldn’t protest.”

‘Well, it would be a tragedy if Clint lost his access to coffee,” Bucky said. “Maybe not so dramatic to bring on death, but it’d be pretty sad regardless.”

“Should I name the coffee machine Juliet then?” Clint asked.

“Tony already named it ‘the life-bringer’.” Steve said.

“Valid.” Clint nodded.

“It’s a fitting name,” Bucky agreed. “Clint looks petty dead in the mornings, even with that perfect golden halo of bed head hair.”

“I don’t think anyone’s called my bedhead a halo before.” Clint laughed.

“That’s because no one appreciates it as much as I do. They don’t get to see how the sun lights up your hair in the mornings.”

“Oh no…” Natasha looked over at Steve, “You didn’t say your best friend was a sappy romantic.”

“I like it.” Clint said, taking Bucky’s hand.

“I can sweet talk pretty well,” Bucky provided, smiling as he squeezed Clint’s hand. “Had the ladies swooning for me with my words. But only the sweetest are reserved for Clint.”

“Or all of it. I don’t want to share you with the girls. They had their chance.” Clint said before his eyes widened and sparkled, locked onto the pizza being carried over to their table and sat down for them along with some plates.

“Oh man, this smells devine!” he gasped.

The waiter smiled, “Will there be anything else?”

“No, I think we’re good for now. Thank you.” Steve said.

Bucky’s wolf was far too excited for the pizza that was set on the table. He was thankful he was able to keep it under control as he sniffed the air. “Good god, I can’t wait to eat this,” he practically moaned.

“Good thing you don’t have to wait, so long as you share, Buck.” Steve smirked, picking up a slice and putting it on his plate. Clint already had two slices, one in hand, and the other on his plate.

Greedily, Bucky grabbed two slices, eyeing a third as he took a massive bite out of his first slice. It was every bit as tasty as he had hoped it would be. 

“Slow down, killer,” Nat said with a chuckle. “There’s plenty of pizza, no need to rush through it.”

“Sorry, but my wolf is excited for pizza.”

“This is why I never have food in my private kitchen anymore. Got two hungry wolves scarfing it all down when my back is turned.”

“We stay away from the stuff you tell us not to touch.” Clint said through a mouthful of pizza.

“Everything else is fair game,” Bucky added. “And we only go wild on the food stock one day out of a handful. Wolves eat a ton one day and let that fuel their bodies until their next big meal.”

“I should get you two kibble.” she smirked.

“Only if it’s pizza-flavored.” Cint smirked back.

“I will barf if you feed me kibble. Hydra fed me kibble.” Almost aggressively, Bucky took another large bite of pizza.

Clint blinked at him, “Really? They...at least gave me two little steaks when I was...they didn’t give you steaks, too?”

“I got steaks when I did what they thought was good. Which wasn’t very often.” Bucky shrugged. 

“Oh…” Clint paused, “Then I guess if we hadn’t escaped I’d only have gotten kibble after that. Not so great at being good for people I don’t like or respect…”

“Dog food has an odd taste. Be thankful you never had to eat it.”

“Hope it stays that way.” Clint said, taking a bite of pizza.

"You'll never be fed dog food so long as I'm around. It's just not right for a wolf to eat kibble."

“These two have the strangest conversations for any outsider to overhear.” Natasha said, leaning over towards Steve.

Steve chuckled. "Good thing we know context. Otherwise we'd be sitting here pretty awkwardly."

“Imagine if Tony was here with you and this was supposed to be a cute double date.” she smirked.

"Tony wouldn't be able to keep his mouth closed, I'm sure."

* * *

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

“I feel like just breathing in here will taint the science.” Clint said as he looked around Tony’s lab.

“Not everything is that delicate,” Tony reassured with a smirk. “Though there’s still stuff that’s breakable, so don’t breathe in those directions and you’ll make it out of my lab unscathed.”

“You realize I don’t know which ones are the ones you don’t want me to breathe at, right?”

“If you get too close to one, I’ll promptly let you know, Mr. Barton.” JARVIS stated simply

"Don't worry, you can usually tell what ones are most breakable or expensive. Usually." Tony barked out a laugh, pulling out a hidden bag of blueberries and offering one to Clint.

Clint eyed the blueberries before shrugging to himself and taking a few, popping one into his mouth. “Thanks. So, is this where you built your Iron Man suit?”

"My first one? Not even close. Got kidnapped and held hostage by some terrorists and made the first one there. Mark two was made in Malibu. Got a bunch of versions of the suit for different things. "

“You have more than one?” Clint asked with wide eyes, “I grew up in a circus with my brother. We heard the news and sometimes would see pictures or footage, but not enough to notice you had different suits.”

"Oh yeah, I've got tons of them. Most are stored on their own floor of the tower." Tony popped some blueberries into his mouth. "I usually wear the same one for missions, but if it calls for something a little more specialized, I've got a suit for the job."

Clint bit his lip and glanced out the window at the tops of building and the sky beyond. “Ever take friends out for a ride?” he asked.

"Someone want to go for a joy ride?" Tony smirked. "I do occasionally. Depends on how heavy the person is."

“I’m surprisingly light!” Clint said, bouncing on the balls of his feet and swinging his arms a little, “Nat has picked me up and tossed me over her shoulder a few times. Plus I’ve been tossed around between acrobats before.”

"I suppose as an acrobat you have to be light anyways." Setting down the bag of blueberries, Tony approached Clint and wrapped his arms around the blond's torso, lifting him off the ground a little. "oh yeah you'd be a breeze to carry around."

Clint let out an excited sound, “This is going to be so cool!”

"It'll be just like flying low, only you get a lot more wind." Stepping back, Tony motioned for Clint to follow him to the elevator. "I'm gonna lend you a helmet to use since it'll be windy. That way we can talk and hear each other clearly."

“I get to borrow a helmet, too?!” Clint pumped his fist, “I like being high up above everyone else. This beats the top of the big tent by a ton!”

"If you learn how to steer yourself, maybe I'll even borrow you a full suit. You're about the same size as me, so I think you'd fit."

“Oh my gosh, Iron Hawkeye. You’re the best, Tony.”

"Sure, I'll get you a suit decked out in purple if you like. Also, I was wondering if I could take a look at your hearing aids at some point. They look like cheap ones so I wanted to give you new ones, but I need to know what settings to program in."

Clint’s eyes widened, “You don’t have to. I’m not trying to get free stuff, just—just a ride Iron Man style.” he blushed.

"Nonsense. You deserve to live a comfortable life, and I know I can make some aids that are far more comfortable and more efficient. Plus you'll need some coms to talk the rest of us Avengers when you come on missions with us, so I figured I'd put two in one."

Clint blinked in surprise, “I haven't officially agreed to do tryouts yet.” he said, “You’re already thinking of me as an Avenger?” He felt warmth spread through his chest, overcome with acceptance. He’d never had that before. His life with his parents was always full of fear of his father, hiding everything about himself to hopefully minimize his father’s anger. Foster care had been one home after another of new rules and expectations to meet, expectations that limited how much of himself he could show. And then the circus...he was constantly having to prove himself over and over again just to keep his place amongst them. And the moment he had stood up for his own morals, the moment he showed too much of himself to them, they turned their backs on him. He hadn’t been stuck with Hydra for long, but he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to be himself at all based on what they had already done to Bucky, stealing away his memories as they had. And Bucky accepted him completely, yes, Bucky was special and understood, and he was amazing and sexy and—okay, he needed to stop before he gave himself a boner. But the Avengers...they had only just met him, he was still working on getting to know everyone, and they had already accepted him as one of their own to the extent of including him even before he had made up his mind on the idea of joining the team like Steve had offered. This group of heroes already felt more like family than any other group he’s found himself in. Maybe he will show off his skills to see if he’s Avenger material after all.

“Of course I am,” Tony said, turning to look at Clint. “You’re going to be one anyways, I know you will. You’ve got skills the rest of us don’t have, you’d be incredibly useful for missions.”

“I wish i could see the look on the troop’s faces when they find out I’ve joined the Avengers. Maybe it’ll scare them into giving up their criminal side-job.”

“I heard about that. Your circus family? Is that an appropriate term? I’m afraid I’m not that familiar with circus culture.” Tony waved his hand as they approached the elevator, the brunet pressing the button to call the elevator. “Anyways, point is, you have skills you learned from that life that you’ve brought into this new life you’ve created for yourself. I don’t see why you’d be turned away from becoming an Avenger. Steve already seems to like having you around, and he’s our leader, so I have a good feeling you’re already an Avenger.”

“I wouldn’t call them family. They sold me to Hydra when I refused to help them with a heist. I didn’t want to get involved with the illegal crap they pulled. I just wanted to show off my skills.”

The elevator doors opened, and the two walked in. “Now you can use your skills for good. No illegal stuff going on with the Avengers. Mostly.”

“Mostly? Run a secret underground gambling gig for elite gangsters like in the movies or something?” Clint teased.

“I wish,” Tony said with a laugh. “More like Steve likes to smash through doors and windows a lot. Big guy throws his weight around a lot.”

“Really? That’s gotta get expensive to replace for the owners of the buildings. I assume you guys help with repair costs…”

“Of course we do. Or I do. He does cause a lot of damage, but damn if he doesn’t look good while doing it.”

"Well at least he puts on a show you enjoy." Clint laughed, "Bucky likes to show off for me, too. He took down a whole buck without a weapon, you know."

“A buck? Like a deer? I don’t know much about hunting and whatnot, but that sounds a bit impressive.” Tony smirked as he shifted closer to Clint. “Did he look good doing it?”

“Beautiful, like he was a born hunter.” Clint grinned.

“You know, we can totally gossip about our significant others now. It’s even better that they’re best friends, gives us more fuel to gossip and compare.”

“Bucky’s still working on regaining the memories that Hydra had locked away, but he has some good embarrassing ones of Steve when they were kids.” Clint said.

“I’ve asked Steve about his past before. Turns out he was a sick kid before he got juiced up with the super soldier serum. Allergies and autoimmune diseases. Nasty stuff. He got lucky with the serum, in my opinion.”

“Bucky says he was a little punk that always ran head first into situations Bucky had to save him from.”

“Oh of course. That’s just how Steve is. Always running head first into trouble to save people. The guy practically attracts the bad guys.”

“Sure, but back then the bad guys were ten times bigger than him. According to Bucky, anyway.”

“It’s not the serum that makes him strong, it’s his spirit. I know, that sounds cheesy, but he’s literally Captain America. Spirit is his damn middle name.”

“Bucky says his middle name is Punk.”

“Steve is a lot of things. Absolutely ridiculous sometimes, but he’s a delight to be around.” Tony shifted on his feet with a smile. “I like to tease him about his past sometimes. He gets flustered easily still.”

“Did you two start dating right away?”

“Oh no, he had to come to terms with not being straight in the modern world. Scared him a bit to be so open about it, though I helped him get through his initial fears. Once he got over them, that was when we started officially dating.”

“Bucky had no issues at all. Right after we escaped hydra together and found a town, we had no money or anything of value so we had to have a cover story that wasn’t that we had just escaped a secret nazi organization bent on world domination, so when we walked into a diner in hopes that they’d let us do dishes or clean floors in exchange for food, he right out told them that we were gay and running from unsupportive families. We hadn’t talked about it and he didn’t even know I was into guys yet. Later that night we decided to make the fake dating into real dating.”

Tony whistled. “Damn, he really went right into it headfirst. Lucky for him you’re into guys, otherwise it would have been super awkward for the both of you.”

“It was also good that the waitress wasn’t homophobic.”

“If you two could successfully use a gay lover cover up story, you guys were lucky with what town you picked to settle into for a while.”

“It wasn’t perfect, some jerk had an issue when we were on a date. But most people we met were supportive.”

“Well, bastards like that guy are gonna pop up at some point. New York is full of them, but most people don’t care if you’re gay, straight, or bi.”

“Are you and Steve going to go public?” Clint asked as he kept up with Tony as the brunet led him around the tower.

Tony shrugged. “Maybe one day. We’re just sticking with being engaged at this point. We’ll probably go public once we’re actually married.”

Clint nodded, “The news would be huge once you’re ready for it to get out. I think it’d be good for kids to see.”

"I agree. Even if Stark Industries suffers a little from it, no sense in hiding the truth when it could help others be more confident."

“It’s not like the investors won’t come back, right? I mean, I don’t know much about business or investments, but Stark Industries is unmatched. There’s Hammer Industries, but their stuff is only a shadow of yours. Seems that even if they dont like that you’re gay, that ultimately they’d make more money investing in your tech.”

"You'd be surprised how much coming out as gay can affect business. But I run a multi billion dollar company, so it wouldn't hurt all that much."

Clint nodded, "Bet the jerks will be more upset about a national icon like Steve Rogers being gay."

"God forbid the guy who beat up Nazis be attracted to men." Tony laughed.

"Oh no, Captain America kissed a boy and liked it." Clint joked. 

“Captain America has a husband, super fans cry manly tears because they can’t handle their icon being into men.”

“Especially pretty men with curly dark hair and a super impressive brain.” Clint said as they entered the room where Tony kept his suits on display. “...and a ton of suits to fly around in. Wow… definitely more than one.”

“At least more than one, yes.” Tony smiled as he let Clint look on in awe. “I have many made for myself, of course, but I’m also working on suits for every member of the Avengers, you included. And Bucky too, eventually, if he accepts being an Avenger. He’s had more doubts about himself than anyone else I know.”

“Bucky wants to, he just… Hydra really had him a long time and that messed him up. He doesn’t know if he can trust himself in a mission-like situation not to relapse back into what Hydra forced him to be. He just needs time, I think.”

“Valid. We wouldn’t want him to suddenly turn on us when we’re fighting a big baddie.”

“I don’t think he will, but it’s not what I think, it’s what he thinks. Oh, yikes, what happened to this?” Clint asked, picking up a damaged helmet that was sitting on a table, a good chunk missing and scorch marks ruining the paint job.

"Oh that? Chunk of space rock. I wasn't even in space when it hit me, but that's what happens when aliens attack New York… always seems to be New York."

“So...no playing fetch with space rocks or aliens, got it—does Thor count as an alien?”

"Sure, he's not from Earth, technically. Though I don't think he'd like being called an alien. Asgardian is more appropriate."

“Not the point, point is if it’s safe to play fetch with him.”

Tony narrowed his eyes slightly. "I… guess? I'm sure he loves dogs, so sure, they can play fetch with him."

“Neat! What about you? Dog person?”

The brunet shrugged. "I prefer the company of humans over animals."

“Why? Dogs are fluffy cuteness of pure love!”

"They drool and bark a lot. Too much energy to be around all my tech. I'd be stressed about something breaking all the time."

“They just want pets! Unlike people, animals are trustworthy. Loyal.”

"Animals can break expensive, irreplaceable things."

“You don’t have to let them into any room they want to sniff out.” Clint shrugged, “Like, at the circus we didn’t let the lion sleep in any of the personal trailers.”

"Dogs follow you around and go into any room you go into. I'm not opposed to dogs, just not in my tower."

“Even if it’s a  _ really _ cute one?” Clint asked, giving his best puppy eyes.

“Even if it’s the cutest dog in the world.” Tony put his hands on his hips, smirking. “Now come on, pick out a suit you want to be seen with.”

“Umm,” Clint walked around, looking at all the options, “How about that one?” he asked, pointing to one that was painted to have more gold than red, which made it stand out from the others.

“A fine choice, one of my older models, but it still flies pretty well.” Tony approached the suit that Clint had pointed out , holding out his arms towards it. Piece by piece the suit came apart and attached itself to his body. The moves he made to make sure each piece of the suit attached properly looked rehearsed but also a bit sloppy from a good chunk of time of unuse. Still, the suit went on in a few minutes, and Tony turned to Clint once it all was surrounding his body.

“Oh goodie, it still fits!”

Clint blinked, “And here I always imagined you hopping up and down trying to get metal pants on.” he laughed.

“I’m the world’s leading guy in tech, you really think I have the time to pull on metal pants when I have a city to save?” Tony laughed.

“You expect a guy who grew up in a circus to imagine that Iron Man’s suit magically flies through the air and attached itself to him?” Clint countered.

“This is the modern age, so… yeah, a little bit,” the brunet teased. “Alright, pick out a helmet you like, then we’ll be ready to fly.”

“Ummm…” again, Clint looked around before choosing a helmet and picking it up, “Okay how do I make it do the put on thing?”

“Oh you can just slip it on, most of the helmets work that way. This one is just special because of implants I got at one point.”

Clint nodded and pulled it on, “Woah, it’s like Star Trek or something in here.” he said as the interfacing lit up for him to see.

"You should be able to hear JARVIS in there. He's connected to all my suits. Super helpful."

“Hey, J, fancy meeting you here.”

“I do seem to be everywhere these days.” JARVIS agreed with a hint of humor.

"He can scan the whole city for you if you like, plus a bunch of other stuff I programmed him with." Tony waved a hand through the air. "Anyways, you ready to fly, Robin hood?"

“Yup! What do I gotta do? Expect a princess cary or are we gonna Superman and Lois Lane it?”

"I'd say princess carry, but I don't want to risk you falling out of my arms if I move too sharply. But of course I'd catch you, because I'm not a terrible person."

“Eh, I’m not afraid of falling. Bucky might freak out if he found out you dropped me, though.” Clint said as he moved over to Tony to attach himself to Tony’s side and wrapping his arms around Tony’s shoulders. “Wow, does this suit make you taller? I thought you were shorter than me…”

"It adds a few inches, yeah." Tony smiled, the faceplate of his helmet snapping down. "Be mindful of the repulsors, and hold on tight."

“Any surprise repulsors other than hands and feet I should know about before we fly off into the sky?”

"Back has some thrusters, but nothing too dangerous to worry about. You should be fine." Tony slowly eased off the ground so Clint could find a comfortable position to hold on while they rose into the air, and once the blond was latched on, Tony took off out of the tower and into the sky above New York City.

“Oh man, this is awesome!” Clint whooped, “You come up here for fun flights often?”

“Not as much as I used to. The fun’s kinda worn out of joy flights.”

“We need to fix that. This is awesome.” Clint grinned, though his expression couldn’t be seen under the helmet.

“Sure, the first time you get to fly low over New York City is thrilling, but you get less excited each time, trust me, been doing this for years now.”

“I doubt that. Come on, show me what you can do!”

Tony laughed. “Alright, but you asked for it!” 

The brunet took a sudden sharp dive downward, picking up speed very quickly as they approached the ground, then he pulled up just before they were about to hit the pavement on a fairly busy street.

Clint cheered as Tony dipped, dived, and looped around the city.

Tony flew between buildings, getting quite close to the glass of the windows several times. He took Clint around the entire city much faster than a city tour would, plus it was free. A free tour in a fraction of the time didn’t sound all that bad when given by Tony via flying at high speeds in an Iron Man suit.

“You’re not afraid of heights are you?” the brunet asked as they were nearing the end of their flight.

“Nope! I like being up high above everyone else. It’s comforting to me.” Clint said.

"Great. I guess that should have been asked before we took off, but now that I have my answer, hold on tight!" Tony changed his flight path, beginning to fly straight up and leaving the city behind quite quickly the higher they rose.

“Oh wow.” Clint said, looking down at the city below, shivering slightly at the cooler air they had found, “That’s a nice view…”

“You should see it at night. It’s almost magical.” Tony smiled, glancing at the blond. “Still doing okay? I can go higher.”

“Yeah, might need a warmer coat next time, but I’m okay.”

“Good, because we can go a lot higher before suit systems start shutting down.” Tony flew up a little higher before slowing and pausing, hovering in the air while looking down at the city. “Pretty chilly up here, but we’re about as high as commercial airplanes fly. How’s the pressure in your head?”

“Head is fine, the helmet seems to be doing it’s job, I think.”

“Mr. Barton’s vitals are reading normally, sir. I can only detect a fair amount of shivering, which is to be expected given the time of year and altitude.” JARVIS helpfully supplied.

“Perfect. Next time we’ll get you in a proper suit so you can learn to fly.” Tony smiled before taking them back down, using reverse thrusters to slow them down as they approached the landing pad on Avengers Tower. They were back on solid ground finally, and Tony took off his helmet after letting Clint get back on his own feet.

“Well, now that was fun! I haven’t gotten to take anyone on a tour of the city in a while.”

“You do this for all your friends, or just the special ones?” Clint asked, taking off the borrowed helmet and reaching up to fluff his hair back out.

Only the ones I really like.” Piece by piece Tony’s suit broke apart and flew off to return to its display, where it would be safe until it was needed once more. “Good thing I like you.”

“Well, I am a great guy!” Clint grinned, setting the helmet back where he had found it before turning around, “want to go find some snacks in the community kitchen and maybe see if we can find out what our boyfriends are up to?”

“I like everything about that plan. Snacks are one of my hobbies.” Laughing, Tony stated towards the direction the community kitchen was in.

“Think our boys will be sparring or talking about the good old days when milk cost a dime, or whatever?” Clint asked, “I’ve found them doing both since Bucky and I got here.”

“I’m guessing they’re gonna be acting like old men again. Did you know that Steve’s favorite flavor of ice cream is butter pecan? I mean, how much more old man can he get?”

“Butter pecan? Where’s the fun in that?” Clint chuckled, stepping into the elevator to go to the community floor, “Gotta have fun in ice cream.”

“Like birthday cake or blue moon. It’s so blue it stains your clothes and it has bits of icing in it. Literal party in your mouth.”

“Or cookie dough chunks!” Clint said as they stepped out of the elevator. In the main room he could see Bucky laying across the couch in wolf form, his long body taking up all the space it provided. Clint made a point to pretend he didn’t notice the massive black wolf on the white couch, heading straight towards the kitchen “I hope we have ice cream, because now that’s what I want!” he continued.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the large black wolf, eyes going wide. "What is  _ that?!" _

Tony's voice was loud, loud enough to get the wolf to lift its head to look at who had made the noise. It couldn't be bothered to get up from the couch, instead huffing and putting its head back down to relax once more.

“What is what?” Clint asked innocently from the kitchen, digging into the freezer. “Aw, ice cream, no…” they were out, and a quick glance into the trash showed that they were simply too late, and someone else had beaten them to the cold treat. “No ice cream.”

"Forget the ice cream, there's a  _ wolf _ on the couch!"

“A wolf? Are you sure?” Clint moved to the doorway that separated the kitchen from the lounge area.

"Yes!" Tony sounded near hysterical, moving cautiously over to the couch. "How the hell did it get in here in the first place? Wolves never come into the city! Maybe it's a zoo wolf…"

“There are no reports of any zoo breakouts, sir.” JARVIS reported.

“He doesn’t seem to be hurting anything.” Clint said.

“Clint, we literally just had a conversation about this. Big animals around my tech make me nervous.” The brunet crouched down to look at the wolf, poking its fur cautiously. “Wolf, you need to go.”

The wolf once again lifted its head, tilting the head to the side curiously. 

“He’s not around your tech.” Clint said, walking over boldly, “And poking a wolf like that is awfully brave of you. Wolves are not dogs, you know, and you don’t know if he’s friendly and would put up with poking. Besides, you should ask the more important questions here, like why didn’t JARVIS alert you to a wolf in the common lounge and,” he looked down at Bucky with a grin, “Hey, Fluffy, you didn’t eat Steve, did you?”

The wolf made a face that almost looked like a smile, moving to nuzzle Clint's side with a huff.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully brave as well."

“Unlike you I’m quite familiar with the two wolves you have wandering around this tower.” Clint shrugged.

"What does that even mean? Are you hiding pet wolves now? Please tell me you're not gonna bring home stray dogs…"

“Wolves aren’t pets, Tony, and you already shot down my hope of bringing home a puppy. I do follow rules, you know.” Clint wiggled himself onto the couch, wedging his legs under Bucky’s head before relaxing and lazilly stroking his furry ears, “If anyone is guilty it’d be Nat.”

"Okay, now you're cuddling with the wolf. What's even going on anymore, did you distract me so this wolf could enter?" Tony went off ranting about other situations in how a wolf could possibly get into his tower.

Meanwhile, Bucky yawned and settled his head comfortably in Clint's lap, eyes closing at the comforting touch of the blond's hands.

“Tony, Tony!” Clint said until Tony finally paused his ranting in order to look at him, “Ask me what his name is.” he nodded down at Bucky fondly.

"Okay," Tony said with a sigh. "What's his name, Clint?"

Clint’s grin stretched wide, “Bucky. The other wolf’s name is Clint.”

There was silence from Tony, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Okay… this is a joke, right? You're just pulling my leg."

“Nope, Bucky and I are wolves, though he’s the bigger scarier one. Between my size and coloring I can be confused with being a large dog. And look.” Clint reached over to lift Bucky’s metal paw, “We painted his arm black so that when he shifts it blends in more with his fur and doesn’t give him away. It was originally silver.”

Tony reached forward and poked the metal leg, taking now that the details looked similar to Bucky's arm. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay… I'll admit, werewolves aren't the weirdest things I've run into. If aliens exist, then I guess mythical creatures can too."

“If it helps, it’s not a natural condition for either of us.” Clint shrugged, “Remember when we mentioned Hydra was playing mad scientist on us before we escaped? Yup, this is the results of some of it. Bucky knows more about it all than I do. I just know it was not a fun time and I never want to go back.”

Tony rubbed his face, sighing. “So… you two are werewolves, and no one decided to tell me until I freaked out over a giant fucking wolf lounging on one of my couches.”

“You aren’t the last to find out. Nat knew before she had us come here because I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for her not to know anything, Bucky told Steve right away because besties or whatever, and now you know. The rest of the Avengers don’t know at all.”

“I can’t help but feel this was a prank…” Tony shook his head. “Regardless, glad to know I now have two wolves living under this roof. Don’t go near my labs when you’re in wolf form, okay?”

“What’s the point of telling our friends we can turn into wolves if we can’t have a little fun with it?” Clint shrugged, “And uh, we still are ourselves when in wolf form. Just fluffier we know not to stick our noses into lab equipment if we do go down there on four legs.”

“Good, at least you can still think.”

Bucky lifted his head and huffed in Tony’s direction, because of course they could still think in wolf form! Wolves could think too, it wasn’t just humans who could think.

“We only let our wolf instincts fully take over when we are out where we can run around nature. Like the woods, or when Nat and Steve pretended we were their dogs to take us to the beach to run around.” Clint reassured, “And even then we are perfectly aware of our actions and can take back control at any time.”

“I want to say that’s impressive… but I don’t know if it is.” Tony shrugged. “Kudos to keeping willpower, I suppose.”

“They sure have a weak willpower when it comes to running around on the beach and getting into the water when it’s freezing out.” Steve’s voice joined the conversation as he walked into the room with a smile.

“That was a conscious choice on our part because you and Nat kept making a huge deal about us not going into the water. So, we went into the water.” Clint protested, “No regrets! Especially when we got to bowl you over while we were wet!”

“You soaked the both of us, we were all shivering by the time we got back to the van.”

“Oh please don’t tell me you had wet wolves in the van,” Tony said under his breath.

“First,” Clint held up a finger at Steve, “Speak for yourself! Bucky and I were quite fine on the walk back to the van! Our fur coats are designed that way. Second,” he held up two fingers at Tony, “We were only wet wolves in the van for as long as it took for the door to close then we shifted back human and you had two wet naked dudes in the van instead!”

“Jesus christ, I loan a van for a day and it has both wet wolves and naked men in it.”

“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, Tony,” Steve tried to reassure.

“Bucky and I didn’t have sex in it if that helps. We just started dressing so we could get lunch. Also, it doesn’t smell like wet wolf. We checked after we got back.” Clint said, tapping Bucky’s nose.

Bucky snorted lightly, then digging his nose into Clint’s neck after sitting up.

“You’re lucky it didn’t smell like wet dog.” Tony sighed. “Anyways, we came for snacks, I’m gonna find something. Steve, like to help me out?”

“Of course, what kind of snack were you thinking?” Steve asked, following after Tony.

“We’re out of ice cream.” Clint reminded him as he wrapped his arms around Bucky. “Hey, have fun, Bucky?”

The wolf let out a soft woof before putting all his weight against Clint, licking the blond affectionately. 

Clint laughed, “I love you too, you big sexy furball.” he kissed Bucky’s nose as he dug his fingers in to pet Bucky.

Bucky happily whined, putting a massive paw on Clint’s leg. He would have shifted back to human if it weren’t for Tony being in the room still, but he really wanted to pin Clint to the couch and keep him there until they both fell asleep, or something semi romantic like that.

“Okay, okay, I won’t leave, even if it means getting a snack. Though if you want me to go wolf with you you’ll have to let me up a little so I don't rip my clothes.”

At least with them both as wolves, they could communicate better, so Bucky sat back, ears forward and eyes looking expectantly with interest. Lightly, his tail thumped against the couch.

Clint stood up, quickly stripping out of his clothes and tossing them into a pile on the couch before shifting and shaking out his fur before hopping onto the couch to curl up with Bucky.

‘ _ Better? _ ’

_ ‘Much. Now I can kiss you all I want without it being weird for Tony.’ _ The larger wolf chuffed out a laugh before licking Clint’s muzzle.

Clint huffed out a laugh, ‘ _ I think it’s still weird for Tony regardless. _ ’

_ ‘He can deal with it, I’m allowed to love on my boyfriend, even in wolf form.’ _

‘ _ Want to stay here until the rest of the team finds out about us? Tonight is movie night so everyone should start showing up soon with food and snacks.’ _ Clint asked as he rubbed their cheeks together.

_ ‘I’d love to stay here and cuddle until the movie. Got nothing better to do anyways, Steve already sketched me a couple times in wolf form, he had just gone to put aways his supplies before you and Tony came in.’ _

‘ _ Ah! He was drawing you like one of his French pups!’ _ Clint laughed, ‘ _ Okay but I want you more on me than this. Makes me feel more secure.’ _

Bucky growled lightly and pushed Clint into the cushions, pinning him down like he wanted.  _ ‘You’ll always be safe with me, doll.’ _

Clint licked at Bucky’s jaw before settling down with a happy sound, his tail wagging. ‘ _ I know I am. Still like feeling your weight on top of me sometimes.’ _

_ ‘I like keeping you grounded. Makes me feel like you’re safer.’ _ Bucky sighed, resting his head on Clint’s body.  _ “I can protect you better this way.’ _

‘ _ No complaints here.’ _ Clint sighed.

“Clint, we are—you are not human all of a sudden.” Tony said walking back in and blinking at the two wolves, “Okay, Steve, doesn’t look like we can bug Clint into going on a snack run, so I guess it needs to be you. The wolves are cuddling.”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind getting snacks,” Steve said while smiling as he saw the two wolves. “You two wanted ice cream, so I’ll get some more for everyone.”

“Remember, it’s movie night so let yourself go crazy.” Tony said, digging out his wallet and handing Steve his card to pay with.

“Got it, lots of old time candy,” Steve joked. “You sure you don’t want to come?”

“Babe, remember last time I went to the grocery store? You sure you want a repeat of that?”

“I was just offering some time to spend together outside of the tower. You spend a lot of time here, especially when you get excited about a project.”

“Clint and I were out not long ago. Gave him a VIP tour of the city Iron Man style. You know, if you had told me that Clint could turn into a wild animal, I would have guessed some kind of bird with how much he likes heights.”

Steve shrugged. “The guy was in a circus. He likes heights and he likes to shoot arrows with a bow. Anyways, if you’re not coming, I’ll be back in a while. Make sure the movie is good.”

“It’s Sam’s night to choose the movie, I can make no promises there. I can promise, however, that I’m going to go sit on that couch with those wild wolves and make myself look like a wolf king of yore or whatever.”

Steve laughed. "Sure thing, Lord Stark."

“Hmm, I love you.” Tony pulled Steve down into a kiss, “And we’ll go out together on a date tomorrow if we don’t get a call to assemble, yeah?”

"I'll hold you to it." Turning on his heels, Steve left, pocketing the card Tony had given him.

Tony watched him leave, enjoying the view before he walked over to the couch and sat down next to where the two wolves were curled up on each other. “I guess it's just us three until the others start making their way here for movie night.”

Bucky lifted his head to look at Tony only briefly. The billionaire wasn't all that interesting to Bucky, other than looking slightly like Howard Stark, so the wolf didn't keep his gaze for very long before going back to his protective position.

Clint, however, flopped his tail over Tony’s lap, huffing in amusement when it brushed across his face, making Tony squeak in surprise.

The elevator opened and Nat stepped out, raising an eyebrow at the three, “Well, don’t you three look comfortable.” As she passed by them on the way to the kitchen, she scratched the top of Bucky’s head with her nails, fondly.

“No snacks. Steve is doing a run for them.” Tony said.

She stopped and sighed, turning around to claim a seat.

Bucky got up and moved to where Nat was, wanting more scratches from her after getting a little taste of it.

“Oh? Leaving Clint for me now?” she teased, running her fingers through his fur, “Why do I spoil the two of you when you’re like this?”

Bucky barked, defending that he only wanted more scratches, and that ultimately, he was going to return to Clint.

“Sure, sure, be in denial all you want. You like how my long nails feels. Both of you do.”

Clint huffed at her and turned so he could put his head in Tony’s lap.

“Clint I don’t really do the pet thing…”

Clint nudged his nose into Tony’s leg until he sighed.

“Fine, but if you lick me, it’s over.” he huffed, stroking a hand over Clint’s furry head and ears.

"Better get used to being asked for scratches," Nat said. "These two ask for them all the time from me. I guess longer nails feel better."

“Clint claimed that they were still them when they were wolves. This isn’t a normal human thing.” Tony said

Clint huffed out a laugh.

"They've picked up some rather wolf-like habits since being turned. Can't say that I hate it, though. Sometimes you need a cuddle with a giant wolf."

“I can’t believe I’ve been tricked into letting wolves into the tower. Stop laughing, Clint! I know that sound is some sort of laughing!”

"I like having them around. And I knew you would say no to them the moment I mentioned they were wolves, so I left out that small detail."

“Sure, you let me fall into friendship love with goldie here before I find out and therefore can’t say no!” Tony sighed, “I’m going to have to build a wolf room into the plans for their floor...or somewhere. Won’t be as good as actual woodland areas, but it’d be something for them when they can’t go anywhere.”

Bucky turned his head and barked loudly, tail wagging quickly.

"I think Bucky likes that idea," Nat said with a chuckle.

“I heard a dog!” Sam’s voice said excitedly before he appeared and stopped dead in his tracks. “Those are not dogs. What the fuck are you two doing with wolves?!”

“Apparently giving them pets and cuddles.” Tony said.

“Sam, you remember being introduced to Bucky and Clint,” Nat spoke up, when Tony had finished speaking. “This is them, just in a different form. Hydra’s doing unfortunately, but we’re making the best of a bad situation.”

“That’s impossible...you would have told me something as ridiculous as that much earlier, right? So I’d be aware you were sharing your floor with a couple of wild predators?”

“They wanted to prank Tony, and they’ve done that already, so now everyone else gets pranked I guess.”

“But I’m your boyfriend, I should get to be in on some of your secrets.” Sam said, walking over to her and kissing her on the top of the head.

“They asked me not to tell anyone.” Nat got up and moved over to Sam, kissing his cheek. “Besides, I’ve known Clint for a while, he’s trusted me with secrets before, and I always keep my secrets. It’s kinda my thing.”

“And what would have happened if I had come to surprise you with a romantic evening and found a wolf standing in your living room?”

Clint laughed and sat up, shifting forms just so he could get a say in, “Then you would have freaked out, maybe gone for one of the weapons Nat has hidden around, and we would have shifted human before you attacked us and the romantic evening would have been awkward.” he reached over to grab his hearing aids from where he’d placed them before.

Bucky made a noise of surprise, seeing Clint shift back to human with little care.

“Jesus, cover up a little,” Tony squeaked out, moving quickly to shove a pillow at the blond.

“Good to see you’re comfortable enough to be naked in your own home,” Nat said, amused.

“Unavoidable.” Clint shrugged, “Clothes don’t shift, and you guys can’t understand our wolf language so I had to shift back naked to say anything. Also, if you’re jealous, Bucky, then you can come back over here and cuddle me again.” Clint teasingly stuck his tongue out at Bucky.

The dark wolf barked and jumped back up onto the couch, curling up around Clint’s middle as much as he could. He huffed loudly.

“You at least could have given some sort of warning,” Tony grumbled while moving to give Bucky room.

“Like what? Sorry, but that’s something we’d have to discuss so you know what to look for before either of us shift. No matter what I could have done to warn you just now wouldn’t have worked.” Clint pointed out.

“I don’t know, a howl maybe? Because you guys only howl at full moons, right?”

Bucky growled, perhaps a bit too loudly, but he hoped his point got across. They were not stereotypical werewolves, they howled for as many reasons as real wolves did.

“Trust me, you’d be more startled by a sudden howl right by your ear than you would about suddenly having a naked guy suddenly next to you.”

‘Right… then how about a series of barks? That would be warning enough, right? A specific set and rhythm that we’d know would be the warning.”

“Hmm, what do you think, Bucky?” Clint asked, rubbing behind Bucky’s ear.

Bucky grunted, then he let out three short barks, determining that to be the warning they would use.

“That good for you, Tony?” Clint asked.

“Yeah, okay.” 

Clint nodded, taking out his aids and setting them aside again, “Okay I’ll be a wolf if you need me.” Clint shifted again and got comfortable with Bucky.

Happy that Clint was in the same form as himself, Bucky nuzzled the smaller wolf’s neck and lightly nipped at it.

“We’ll have to let everyone else know the code,” Nat said, voicing some thoughts out loud. “And everyone will know after tonight that these two are wolves, so no more surprises after this. Hopefully.”

“What’s all this about wolves and surprises?” Bruce asked as he walked in, followed by Thor.

“Wolves! We have been graced by the mighty spirits this day!” Thor gushed as he strolled forward to greet the wolves in much the same way anyone else would a couple of playful puppies.

Bucky got a rush of excitement, jumping to his feet and barking while wagging his tail quickly.

“Yes, wolves, and be careful with them because they’re my roommates Clint and Bucky,” Nat warned, because Thor often got over excited with certain things, wolves being one of those things clearly.

“Ah, I thought there was something powerful hidden inside these two! Wolves, that makes sense.” Thor nodded, petting Bucky without care. “Come here, Clint, let me see you, too.”

Clint hopped off the couch to join Thor and Bucky on the floor, bowling the man over and making him laugh.

“Looks like those three could easily let off some steam together,” Bruce said while coming up beside Nat. “Thor has high energy like wolves do, so I can see them spending a lot of down time together.”

“Aye, it’d be good fun to go running with these two if the alpha allows it, of course.” Thor grinned from the floor.

Bucky tilted his head, his eyes going wider just slightly.

“Thor, you know about that kind of stuff?” Nat asked, moving away from Sam’s side. “Or are you just assuming that Bucky is the alpha male?”

“Oh, it’s quite obvious we have an alpha with his omega here. The people of Midgard have evolved past such traits, but Asgard still has such traits, though they do differ slightly from what had been alpha and omega here. I knew the moment I met these two that their secondary genders had been awakened somehow.” He tapped his nose, “I’m an alpha myself, after all, I can easily pick up the scent of other alphas and omegas. But these two are pack, and I am new to them, so I bow my head in submission to allow Bucky to remain head alpha.”

"Secondary genders?" Tony looked over at Thor with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

“First genders are male and female, second is alpha, beta, and omega.” Thor shrugged as if it were obvious. “First genders are attached to outwards features of the body, whereas the second are the physical inside. Of course these things do not change those who’s very soul do not match their body. I believe here you call them transgender. The gender of a soul is the one that truly matters.”

“So what does it mean to be an alpha or an omega? Am I an alpha?” Tony asked, turning his body to be more involved in the conversation.

“As most people of Midgard, your scent isn’t fully developed, I’d have to get much, much closer to be able to tell what yours is without you presenting as these two have. Seeing as they are wolves, I believe their presentation of their second genders were linked with becoming wolves.” Thor shrugged, “Alphas, both male and female, along with beta males are the givers, while beta females, omega females, and omega males are the receivers and carriers. My own brother Loki is an omega, and he’s mothered three children, though they are all also animals which is slightly awkward, but I am not one to judge my shape-shifting brother’s choices.”

"Wait, there are guys who can have babies? Like who aren't transgender?"

"Makes sense why the two seem to be so cautious about their time together," Nat thought out loud.

“Indeed, if they so choose, Clint would be able to carry a child to term.” Thor said, petting Clint who had shoved his face into Bucky’s chest. His blush couldn’t be seen in wolf form, but it was still there.

Bucky licked Clint's ear comfortingly.

"Okay, well… I don't wanna have to make a baby room, but I guess if the mood strikes." Tony shrugged. 

‘ _ Oh my god, Bucky, why are they talking about us having babies?’ _ Clint whined.

“If this is the case,” Bruce spoke up, “I’d like to get some scans of both of you two in both forms. It’d help with any medical issues you may have later. Other doctors might want to start poking around where it’s unnecessary if they found out about this alpha and omega thing. Would you be okay with coming to my lab to avoid that?” 

Bucky huffed, putting more of his weight against Clint.  _ 'I'm not sure I want to be examined quite yet…' _

‘ _ Probably a good idea, especially for me.’ Clint pointed out, ‘I could go first so you know it won’t be like Hydra when you do it?’ _

_ 'If you're comfortable with that.' _

‘ _ It’s fine, plus I’m sure you’ll be there making sure nothing bad happens, right?’ _

_ 'I hope so… I know we can trust them, but the memories of what Hydra did to me return more and more every day. I just wanna be away from testing for a while.' _

‘ _ That’s why we’ll have me go first. I didn’t go through nearly as much as you did with Hydra. You can see what Bruce has in mind and decide after if you’re okay with it or need to wait longer. Plus if we at least know more about how my body works, maybe he can determine if other types of birth control will work for me or not. We go through condoms so fast… _ ’

Bucky made a noise of agreement.  _ 'Don't let him hurt you…' _

‘ _ Of course not, alpha. If he does, I'll let you know, but I really don’t think Bruce would even think about hurting me. He’s a gentle guy. _ ’

“Are they making a decision?” Bruce asked while leaning closer to Nat.

“Most likely. It’s interesting to watch them talk to each other as wolves, but I have no doubt they’re considering their options.”

Clint glanced over at Bruce, ‘ _ I’m going to shift just to tell him our decision, then I’ll shift back, unless you want to tell them?’ _

_ ‘You can tell him.’ _ Shifting his position, Bucky settled in a way that would keep Clint covered enough to be decent.

Clint nodded then gave the series of warning barks they had agreed upon before shifting, “Bucky’s not sure how he feels about it because of what Hydra’s done to him over the years, but we agreed that you can do it on me first with him around to see if he’d be comfortable with it. I’m fine with it whenever and think it’d be good to know more about my body since it’s changed since the last time I saw a doctor. We can talk to you about when or whatever later.”

And then he shifted back. ‘ _ I’m getting lots of shifting practise today. _ ’ he laughed.

“Great,” Bruce said, smiling. “It’ll be a simple and quick process. Just some blood tests and body scans at the least.”

Bucky’s stomach churned a little at the thought of needles getting involved, but if that was what needed to be done, he would let it happen.

Clint licked at Bucky’s cheek, ‘ _ Remember, it’s your choice. He’s not going to force you if you say no _ .’

_ ‘I know. Needles just make me uncomfortable. Always have, even before Hydra.’ _

“Well, at least you have Clint available for testing,” Nat said. “Hopefully it’ll help us get better info on both Clint’s physiology and Hydra’s motives.”

Bruce sighed, shaking his head and moving to sit on one of the couches, “Hydra was probably trying to replicate the super soldier serum. Or at least make something like it. They obviously stumbled across something worth trying again on another person. It’d be good to have an idea on how it’s affected them.” He looked over at the wolves, “You two can come by my lab whenever you feel ready for it.”

Bucky huffed and gave an awkward nod in Bruce’s direction. 

Most everyone began to pick seats for the movie after the end of that conversation. Clint and Bucky stayed on the couch, taking up most of the seats with their large canine bodies. It wasn’t too long before Steve returned with snacks, loads of ice cream in plastic bags hanging off his arms as he came into the room. Tony jumped up quickly to help.

“Bucky, Clint, are you two going to stay fluffy for the movie? If so we need to figure out your snacks before the movie starts.” Steve said after kissing Tony and handing him a few bags to help with.

Bucky gave off the warning barks before shifting to human, making Clint cover up what didn’t need to be seen. “We might. More comfortable, plus we don’t have clothes nearby. Well, I don’t anyways. Also those barks are our warning for shifting to human.”

“Ah, someone not like the nudist thing you have going on with shifting?” Steve laughed.

“Clint was practically in my lap when he first shifted so yes, I wanted a warning before getting an eyeful.” Tony said, grabbing a few bowls to put snacks in.

"Gives Clint and I a little more privacy too," Bucky said. "Anyways, Clint and I are gonna be wolves as long as we want, so try not to ask incredibly complex questions." 

“How about you two come choose your snacks before the movie and we’ll get them into bowls for you to use, that way we should only have yes or no questions after, like if you’d like more pretzels.”

Nodding, the brunet shifted back to wolf and jumped off the couch before trotting over to Steve. Bucky could easily see what was on the counter, being as big as he was, and though things weren't as colorful as they were before, every snack had its own smell that piqued the wolf's interest.

Steve and Tony readied all the snacks and carried them into the livingroom to place on the coffee table, except for the bowls for Clint and Bucky which were placed on the couch for them. Sam set up the movie before curling up with Natasha and glancing around.

“So, uh...I chose this movie before finding out about Bucky and Clint so….please don’t kill me for the movie choice.”

"I'm sure they won't be upset because of the movie choice," Nat said while getting comfortable with Sam. "There's no way you could have known they were werewolves."

“I still don’t want to die via werewolf attack. No horror movie deaths for me please! Keep that crap in the movie.” he pointed as the movie’s title screen popped up showing that the movie was, in fact, a horror film involving werewolves.

Clint couldn’t hold back his wolfish laughter. ‘ _ We can start howling in a really intense scene to make everyone jump. _ ’

_ ‘That’d be the highlight of my day if we do that.’ _ Bucky also chuffed out a laugh.

Clint nodded, fully planning on doing so just to see who all would jump out of their skin.

* * *

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

The Avengers Tower was perhaps the most secure building in all of New York City, decked out with the latest Stark tech and defense systems, so it was logical to think that the people who lived or visited were going to be safe from any harm unless it was received via sparring session. There was no reason to believe that anyone would expect a surprise attack from an outside source. Even with as many visitors that came through the front doors, simple tourists, Stark employees, or SHIELD agents, the Avengers were constantly protected.

Which made it the perfect place for secret double agents to reside. 

There was a darker secret that was hidden within the safe walls of Avengers Tower, and no one but a select few within SHIELD knew. It was the perfect coverup, especially for those agents working for a certain organization that was interested in hunting down Bucky and Clint. 

Sure it was risky using phones and coms in the tower to contact Hydra, but it was the best connection that could be made between the organization and those double agents. It was the only way Brock Rumlow could communicate with the Hydra base in Canada that had held the two wolves for a period of time. Still, he found himself waiting a good while before a stable connection was finally made.

“We didn’t expect contact from you, agent.” the Hydra scientist that answered the call greeted, “Aren’t you supposed to be undercover in SHIELD?”

“I have some info you’ll be happy to hear,” Brock said while smirking. “Barton and the asset are here in New York City. They’re being kept in Avengers Tower to keep them under the radar.”

There was a long pause on the other end, “How did they get that far already? We had only just missed them in that town they were hiding in for a while with the speed of their travel we figured they were only just at the border as their trail led towards the States.” The scientist cursed in Russian before sighing, “It seems our team of trackers are quite lacking. Are you in the position where you can arrange to get our beasts back?”

“Not quite. I’m not as close to them as I am with the Avengers yet, and it seems that the Avengers are protective of them. It’ll be awhile before I’m able to do anything about getting them back.”

“Work on figuring something out. I’ll have my team relocate to a closer base with the equipment we’ll need once we have them both back.”

“I’d be prepared for a confrontation with the Avengers once they realize the two are gone. With how protective they’re being now, I can imagine it’ll only get worse once they had a lead.”

“We’re working on a second chair so we can wipe them both quickly and reset them under our control. After the Asset’s escape we looked into a few things and found he hadn’t been wiped properly after his last few missions, so his old memories had likely started returning. The technician who had failed to execute his job properly has been dealt with. Anyway, once we wipe them we can set the Asset up to deal with the Avengers while we finish running our tests on Barton and alter him further as needed.”

“Apparently the Avenger Thor knows about the secondary genders,” Brock added casually. “He might be useful for some tests if we can contain him. It’s highly unlikely, but he knows things we don’t, I’m sure.”

“Thor isn’t human, it would be interesting to see how his body takes to some of our serums. He may have a better chance at surviving.”

“Or we could do that. Whatever you feel the need to do.” Brock turned his head quickly, hearing footsteps approaching. “Can’t talk anymore. I’ll give you more updates when I can. Rumlow out.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, shutting off the call as quickly as he could. Thankfully the footsteps went past the room Brock was in, and he sighed lightly before collecting himself and exiting the room. Hopefully soon the two Hydra made wolves would be back in proper hands, being good assets and obeying rules rather than somehow escaping from memory wipes after each mission.

“Ah, agent whatever your name is!” Tony said approaching Rumlow, “We’ve been looking for you. Cap requested a meeting between SHIELD and the Avengers and Fury said to grab you and Phil to represent the SHIELD half of things because he’s too busy buying a new eyepatch or something he wouldn’t tell me.”

Chuckling, Brock nodded. "Alright, this gonna be another one of his patriotic speeches to inspire us all to do better?"

“Not exactly. It’s more an announcement to make sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed and SHIELD is aware of the change and won’t freak out later, or whatever.” Tony shrugged, gesturing for the man to follow him, “Everyone should already be in the conference room I directed them to for this, so they are just waiting on us.”

“Oh, well we shouldn’t keep them waiting much longer. I wouldn’t want to be the reason the meeting is delayed anymore.”

“It’s fine, it’s not like SHIELD knew Cap was going to call a meeting like this today.” Tony waved off as he led the way to the conference room. He opened the door, holding it for the unknown double agent before following him in.

Inside the room Steve was talking with Phil already, and reclining back in a chair, feet up on the table, was Clint Barton.

“I found agent number two!” Tony announced, moving in and plopping down in one of the many chairs that circled the large table.

“Sorry for the wait,” Brock said as he took his seat next to Phil. “Got a call from the boss, and you can’t just ignore a call from the boss.”

“It’s fine.” Steve said, “Take a seat, we can keep this meeting a bit more casual, I think, as Fury isn’t here.”

“More than okay with that, Captain.” Settling into his seat, Brock kept a smile on his face.

“We’ve added a new member to the Avengers team.” Steve said, sitting down between Clint and Tony, “This is Clint Barton, he’ll be joining us under the name of Hawkeye.”

“Hey.” Clint waved.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Phil Coulson greeted with a smile. “I’m sure the Avengers are excited to have you as a new member. Your skills have obviously proved to be useful for the team.”

“They seem to think so.” Clint grinned, shaking his hand, “I was surprised when they gave me the offer. I mean, I just use a bow and arrow like Robin Hood.” he joked.

“It’s not a weapon you see used very often these days. Sometimes traditional weapons do the job just as well as modern weapons.”

“Sure but  _ Captain America _ and  _ Iron Man _ !” Clint said, gesturing to the two next to him.

“Hey, you’re an Avenger now, too,” Tony spoke up. “People will start saying your hero name the way you say ours.”

“What exactly is the skillset you’ll be bringing to the team?” Phil asked, scratching down notes for paperwork onto a piece of paper.

“I have very good distance eyesight and I never miss.” Clint shrugged.

“Plus, arrows are quieter than guns,” Nat mentioned, suddenly appearing in the way she tended to. “He’s our sniper, we’ve been needing someone like him on our team anyways. We were lucky to have gained him as a team member and an ally.”

“Where’d you learn skills like those?” Brock asked.

“Circus.” Clint shrugged, “Used to have an act with my bow.”

“Well, certainly didn’t expect that, but I can't say I’m too surprised by it.”

“Regardless of background, Clint will be a valuable asset to the team,” Steve spoke. “We’re excited to take him on his first mission with us.”

“My life’s a little unique, I guess.” Clint shrugged.

“Just a little,” Nat agreed with a smile. 

“Knowing there’s an extra Avenger on the team now, this should probably go into SHIELD records,” Steve said. “To prevent any confusion in the future.”

“He’ll get added to the team database as soon as we have the records in,” Phil reassured.

Clint leaned back in his seat, “Oh, hey Nat! When did you sneak in? I thought you were spending time with Sam and my boyfriend.”

“You’re not very observant today,” the redhead teased. “Been in here some time before I spoke up, though I did slip in, you’re right. And as for our boyfriends, they’re having some nice bonding time on the training floor.”

“Ah, I want to go watch them. Bet it’s hot.” Clint hummed.

“I’m sure it is, so you can wait a little longer to go see.”

“Well,” Steve once agains spoke up, “unless there’s any questions for Clint, and SHIELD has everything they need, I see no need to stay here much longer.”

“You’re seeing someone.” Phil said, “Are they on the team or will we need to make note of who it is for their own safety, assuming you are serious about being with them.”

Clint blinked, “Uh, he was offered a spot on the team, too, but hasn’t decided yet if he wants to.”

"He's an old friend," Nat spoke. "They won't need to be registered in SHIELD's databases, though we need Clint to be a little under the radar at this point in time. It's a long story, and not one to be told openly to this many people."

“You know we’ll need to know why.” Phil said, “Such a request does imply things that require us to make a note in Mr. Barton’s file.”

"I can talk to you directly about the situation, but the two are being protected at this point in time, and we'd like to keep them protected."

“Protected by the Avengers?”

“Well, my boyfriend and I are currently living with the Avengers so yeah.” Clint shrugged.

"Clint and his partner will be protected until we know it's safe for them to be a little more open to the public," Nat said sternly. "Their current situation is too dangerous for them to not be protected."

“You know I have to ask these questions, Natasha. SHIELD needs to know things in order to help the Avengers.” Phil said, “I’m not trying to argue or imply that your team is incapable.”

"All I'm gonna tell you is that they were kidnapped by an organization that tortured them before they managed to escape and come here. Any other details you want you'll have to get without a room full of people."

Phil’s eyes widened, “Sounds like you’ll have to share details so we can make sure they are taken care of and can’t hurt anyone else. Location in particular if you can, Mr. Barton.”

“I’ll invite you up to talk to myself, Clint, and his boyfriend if he wishes to join in, but that’ll be the only people for such information, Agent Phil.” Steve offered.

"What about other SHIELD agents?" Brock asked. "I mean if we're going to help the Avengers with protecting these two, shouldn't more than just one person know the story?"

“Brock, the details may just be on a need to know basis.” Phil said.

"Sure, I understand that, but I think more than one person should know the details in case something were to happen."

“More than one person does know. Every member of the Avengers are aware, and Phil will likely share the information with Fury as Fury is the director the Avengers report to.” Nat stated firmly, placing her hands on Clint’s shoulders, “No offence, but we work with Phil and Fury a significant amount, while you have only started working with us a few months ago. Trust level between the team and you just isn’t on the same level.”

Brock shrugged. “Fair enough. I just know that Phil and Fury aren’t around here all the time, while I’ve been stationed to this area. Just thought it would be beneficial for someone stationed at the tower to know details.”

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with sharing the details with too many people, and I trust these three on who needs to know." Clint shrugged. 

Nodding, Brock put up his hands. “Alright, I won’t push the subject further.”

Clint nodded and looked around, "Can I go watch my boyfriend spare against Sam now?"

Steve nodded. “Of course. We’ll let you know if we need anything else from you.”

Clint hopped up with a grin, "Nat, you want to ogle our hotties with me?"

"You know I want to," the redhead said with a smirk.

“I was hoping you’d say that!” Clint linked his arm with hers and waved at Steve and Tony as the two friends left the conference room.

"They mentioned they were going to work on some fighting moves,” Nat said as they walked. “Something about comparing military moves. Though I have a feeling Bucky is going to be a wolf when we get to them.”

Clint laughed, “I guess it depends on if he was winning in human form or not.”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind seeing Sam fight your giant wolf boyfriend.”

“That wouldn’t make you nervous?”

“No, Sam can hold his own, I don’t think he’d have any trouble fighting a wolf.”

“Sure, but it’s still startling to see a seemingly wild apex predator attacking someone you love.”

“I know that they’re only sparring, so I’m not worried. Besides, if Bucky gets too animalistic, I can easily take him down.”

“You should let me calm him. He’ll be quicker to distract away from what he’s doing if I do it. At least, his inner wolf would.”

“Don’t forget that he and I trained together for a good chunk of time. He knows I can beat his ass if I really need to.”

“Sure, sure, but I wouldn’t need to use violence.”

"Well, he responds to both violence and soft touches from his boyfriend, so win-win for us."

“Mm, and certain sounds I can make.” Clint grinned.

“Oh I’m sure you’ve got plenty of those. Bucky would stumble over his own feet.”

“Or paws.” Clint nodded, “Especially lately. I’ve been starting to get a bit clingy with him, just wanting him close. Don’t know why I’m so anxious, but he seems to understand and indulges me.”

“Maybe it’s your wolf getting more attached to him. I know normal wolves seem to have close relationships with each other. Maybe it’s the same for you two.”

“Maybe. But I would think that would have started way back when he marked up my neck in a way that really made my wolf happy. Bite mark is still there, even after all this time, and Bucky’s wolf seems to really like that spot on my neck. But this level of clinginess started the other night when we sat down for movie night.”

“Has anything changed in the relationship recently? Other than the clinging, of course.”

Clint shook his head, “Not unless you count the amount of sex we have now that we aren’t on the run and constantly needing to move. But that change happened when we got here to the tower, so…” he shrugged.

“Interesting. Well, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’m sure it’s just your wolf getting older and realizing more that Bucky’s wolf is his mate.”

“Maybe. So which room did they go to? There’s an entire floor of places to work out and spar and train…”

“They went to the room all the way to the south. Lots of windows there, and I guess they liked the idea of natural sunlight for their sparring.” Nat shrugged.

Cint nodded, “Race you there?”

“Oh, you’re on.” Wasting no time, Nat took off running, laughing as she sprinted away.

Clint grinned, leaping up and grabbing a bar high overhead, using it to swing himself overhead from bar to bar, along with the occasional hanging rings. Eventually, he swung up on top of the bars and began sprinting across them high above Nat’s head until he reached the end of the hall and dropped down in front of her just in time to turn down another hallway.

Nat stumbled a little with Clint landing in front of her, but she caught up quickly, pushing the blond to the side gently. “You’re not gonna win that easily.”

“Don’t underestimate me, James Bond! I can be a super cool secret agent man, too!” he laughed.

“Prove it then!” The redhead pushed Clint harder while sprinting ahead.

Clint grinned and let her take the lead, watching her take another turn, but he kept going straight before dropping down and sliding through an open vent built into the wall. It was a tight fit, but it was a shortcut he’d discovered when studying the floor plan for the training floor when he was preparing himself for tryouts. He’d even gone to test out the little hidden shortcuts, learning which ones he could actually fit into. The floor was practically a maze, after all, and it’d take Nat much longer to get to the other side of the wall by taking any of the known paths.

Nat grunted, knowing that Clint knew all the little shortcuts of the building like the back of his hand, so she ran as fast as she could, hoping to get ahead of her friend, though she knew in the back of her mind that there was no way she would beat Clint. The blond was too fast through air vents, it was a talent on its own to be able to do such a thing.

Clint twisted his way through, in and out of air vents until finally, he dropped down inside the room Sam and Bucky were sparring in, landing next to them both with a grin as they startled and moved in sync to attack him, only to stop short as soon as they realized who he was.

“Hey, I’m guessing I beat Nat here?”

“I guess, didn’t know she was stopping by,” Sam commented while recomposing himself.

“Or you,” Bucky added.

“She told me you two were sparring, I wanted to watch, then we decided to race here.” Clint shrugged, “I decided to take a short cut.”

“She shouldn’t be too far behind then,” Sam reasoned.

Sure enough, Nat walked in not a second later, sighing before catching her breath. 

“You are one slick man, Clinton Barton,” she said between breaths.

Clint grinned back, “I was just wondering where you were, James Bond. I found the hotties.”

“You’re starting to give out nicknames like Tony does. Much more of that and we’ll have to cut you off,” Nat teased. 

“You’re the only one I’ve given a nickname, and I started calling you that before I met Tony!” Clint pointed out.

“But you’re calling me James Bond all the time now. Soon that’ll be the only name you call me.” Laughing, the redhead moved closer to Sam, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I don’t mind dating a hot redheaded James Bond.” Sam grinned, wrapping his arms around her.

"I already knew you were into secret agent redheads," the woman responded with a smirk. "Didn't have to say it out loud."

“Sometimes it’s nice to confirm how I feel for you out loud.” he purred, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Nat hummed. “I suppose. However, I didn’t come here to listen to you be the romantic I know you are. Clint and I came to see some action.”

“You sure I can’t just sweep you off your feet?”

“Not until we see some sparring, Mr. Falcon.” Nat smiled and tapped Sam’s chest before moving back over to Clint.

“Should we be worried that our significant others are wanting to watch us beat each other up over the offer of a nice romantic evening alone?” Sam asked Bucky.

“I’m not concerned in the slightest,” Bucky responded, smirking. “Come on, bird boy, let’s give it another go. I’m antsy to show off.”

“I’ll be watching.” Clint smiled, pressing a kiss to Bucky’s cheek before walking with Nat over to the edge of the room where some chairs were set up.

Bucky and Sam squared off against each other, ready to be thrown back into the rhythm of a friendly sparr that Bucky had to remind himself to go easy on, since he was a super soldier after all. He didn’t want to risk hurting Nat’s boyfriend, because he knew that would get him in a heap of trouble.

Still, the brunet smirked and brought his fists up to his face, ready to take the defensive. “You wanna make the first move, this time? Since you were caught a little off guard by my first attack last round.”

“Who was caught off guard? Wasn’t me.” Sam smirked, shaking loose and getting in a ready position.

“You were totally caught off guard, don’t lie. You just weren’t prepared for me to move as quickly as I did.” Laughing, Bucky lunged forward and threw a punch.

Sam side-stepped, delivering a counter attack by swinging his elbow at Bucky’s neck.

Clint hummed as he leaned against Nat, “Looks like our boyfriends are getting along well.”

“I would hope so. They live in the same tower, they should learn to get along, even if just in public. Plus, we want all our team members to get along, of course.” Nat sighed. “Can’t have a good team if your own team mates are out to get you.”

“It’s just good to see him making closer friends other than Steve.”

“Yeah… he and I were friends a while back. But… then Hydra wiped him and that guy I became friends with for a short time was gone like he never existed. It was hard to see him like that. I hope you never have to experience that, because it leaves an awful feeling in the pit of your stomach.”

“I think if it worked, then it’d be worse for me.” Clint muttered, tapping at his neck, “After we did the biting thing we began to actually feel each other in a way. Like, I can feel his emotions distantly in the back of my mind. And if I concentrate on it I can read it a little more.”

“That’s interesting. I’m sure Bruce will love to learn more about that.”

“Oh, I’m sure. We made plans to meet him and Thor in his lab tomorrow for scans and Thor’s explanation of things and figuring out all that stuff.” Clint flinched when Sam managed to land a particularly hard hit on Bucky.

Bucky was quick to retaliate, throwing a series of punches as fast as he could at Sam.

“It’s nice to know that Thor knows more about this whole situation more than the rest of us,” Nat said. “He was the person I thought would be least helpful, but here he is, being the same secondary gender as Bucky.”

“It explains why he scents stronger then the rest of—everyone I’ve ever gotten near since becoming a wolf. Everyone smells kind of muted but he’s got a clear scent. I guess the closest comparison to it would be he smells like a rainstorm.”

“Oddly, that makes sense. He is the god of thunder, rain is his whole aesthetic.”

“You smell like cherries.” Clint added, “I can smell it when I get this close, and I don’t think it’s because of your shampoo. That smells more floral.”

Turning her head, Nat raised an eyebrow at Clint, though she had a smile. “I’ve got my own scent? I thought I wouldn't have one because my secondary gender hasn’t been woken up or whatever they call it.”

“My guess would be that just because humans don’t present anymore doesn't mean they don’t have the features of their secondary gender sitting dormant. Your scent is muted, so I think that is because you haven't presented. So your scents are all still muted as it would be during childhood back in the time when humans did present at whatever age it happens. I’m guessing during puberty.”

“That would make sense. Body changes a lot during that time, why not also present your secondary gender?” Nat leaned back in her seat, watching Sam and Bucky fight. “Cherries… well, that goes with my color scheme, so I can’t be too upset by my scent.”

“Bucky says I scent like flowers. Which is one of the reasons why I got a job in a flower shop for a while.” Clint admitted.

"Keeps your scent hidden among similar ones. Smart. You're going to be a great Avenger, I know it already."

“People may not be able to smell it, but dogs would, and Hydra might have been using dogs to try and find us, so it seemed smart.” He sighed and shivered slightly before he scoot closer to his best friend.

Nat wrapped an arm around Clint, leaning her head against his. "Cold chill?"

“Yeah, I’m just starting to feel...I don’t know.”

"Feel like you're getting sick?"

“Possibly?” He shivered again, huddling himself in closer to Natasha and glancing around at the large room. It suddenly felt too large and open if he really thought about it, and he just wanted to find a small space to curl up in. “...Maybe.”

Nat put her hand against Clint's forehead, getting a feel for his temperature. "You do feel warm. All that travelling in the cold might be catching up to you… also, you said you smelled like flowers, right? Your scent? Lavender maybe?"

“Yeah. At least according to Bucky. I can’t smell myself…”

"Right, well… I can definitely smell you suddenly, and the scent's getting stronger." The redhead looked over at Bucky, who suddenly stopped fighting and locked his gaze onto Clint.

“What’s going on? Why’d you stop? Did someone spray perfume or something in here?” Sam asked.

Bucky didn't respond with words, rather, he let out a whine that sounded like it came directly from his wolf. The scent he was breathing in was intense, different from Clint's normal scent, and it made Bucky's wolf want to take Clint away from everyone in the room and protect him until he felt better.

"Sam… I think this has to do with their secondary genders," Nat said cautiously, noting how Bucky's gaze flickered in her direction.

Clint whimpered in response to Bucky’s whine. He’d managed to tuck himself up tight in Nats arms, and he turned to look over at his alpha.

Bucky huffed and stepped closer to Clint, moving slowly while his eyes stayed glued to the blond.

Nat decided it was a good idea to move away, but Clint was clinging to her still, and she didn't want to upset Bucky by moving too fast or touching Clint. She knew his wolf was sensitive to quick movements, and it seemed that the wolf was in control of Bucky's body in that moment.

Once Bucky had gotten close enough, Clint detached from Nat and hurried over to attach myself to Bucky, shoving his face into the alpha’s shoulder, “Alpha...I’m feeling strange all of a sudden…”

Bucky pushed his nose into Clint's neck, taking in a deep breath of the scent. A small growl escaped his throat. "You smell really good," he growled out.

Moving out of her seat and towards Sam, Nat walked slowly while speaking softly to her boyfriend. "I think we should leave… I don't know what's going on, but I don't want to stick around to find out."

Sam nodded, slipping his arm around her to guide her out, “Lets see if we can find Thor. He may know if it’s something that needs help or if they should be left alone..” He glanced back at the other couple, “I want you to spend tonight on my floor tonight unless Thor says it’s nothing to worry about.”

"I've seen them get excited before and run off to the bedroom… that was almost a more intense version of it, so yeah, I'd rather not be around while they do… whatever that is."

“Is there anything you want to grab from your floor before they move up there?” Sam asked as they slipped out of the sparring room.

"Yeah, let me grab some clothes and toiletries. Just in case I have to spend more than one night with you."

“We should keep a set of that kind of stuff on my floor for you, anyway. That way you won’t have to worry about it on the evenings you decide to spend the night with me.” he smiled at her.

"I'd say we do the same with you, but I've got a couple of dogs staying with me who might steal your things because they're comfortable."

“Stark’s working on a floor for them, so I’ll leave some things after they move out of your guest room. Shouldn’t be too long a wait given that Stark gets things done fast.”

"I know, I just would have thought that floor would be finished by now. And as much as I love having the two around, I like having my privacy whenever I want it."

“Well, it won’t be too long. And even if it is a bit of a wait, you know you have full access to my floor if you need to get away and find time to yourself.” Sam lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles as they hurried towards the elevators.

Back inside the sparring room, Clint was leaning heavily against Bucky, “I don’t like this wide open space right now…” he admitted.

"Too open," Bucky grunted, taking in deep breaths of Clint's scent. "Let's go to our room. Safer there."

Clint nodded, but didn’t move to pull away from Bucky. “Sorry...clingy I guess…”

“Don’t apologize for it.” Bucky carefully picked Clint up and carried him out of the room, the brunet keeping his nose shoved into Clint’s neck. They moved to the elevator, and Bucky told Javis to take them to Natasha’s floor. The AI said nothing as the elevator began to move.

Clint curled into Bucky, breathing in his scent. “Still feel sorry...I don’t know what’s going on, and my wolf isn’t telling me much.” he admitted, shifting his legs slightly, and—

A warm wetness suddenly eased out of him, quickly soaking the backside of his pants.

Clint squeaked in embarrassment.

Bucky let out a long whine. He was struggling to keep his wolf back, the first time he really struggled in a long time, because somehow this was exciting for his wolf, despite Clint seeming to be not very comfortable.

“I don’t know what’s going on either,” he growled out, nipping Clint’s neck.

Clint moaned, his head falling to the side to expose his neck to Bucky, “Felt nice…”

“You’re really warm…” The brunet was relieved when the elevator finally opened to Nat’s apartment, and he made a beeline for the bedroom they stayed in while their own apartment was still being worked on.

“Am I? I feel cold.” Clint muttered, “But also...tangled in clothes…”

"Maybe this isn't what my wolf thinks it is…" Bucky set Clint down on their bed. "Maybe you're getting sick."

“What does your wolf think it is?” Clint asked as they got close to the bed and he looked down at it with a frown. It was neatly made. They had just put on fresh sheets and spread the comfortable out nicely, and that—wasn’t what Clint wanted. His fingers twitched to reach out and start moving the bedding around, like the neatness personally offended him.

“I’m not exactly sure… he’s not being very helpful, but he’s getting excited over this the same way he gets excited about our intimate times.” 

Clint grunted, twisting until he was dropped down onto the bed where he immediately began ripping the blankets up and moving pillows around. Then he made a frustrated whine, “We don’t have enough pillows and blankets!”

“I… can get some spare blankets. I’m sure Nat won’t mind.”

Clint nodded before moving over to their closet to start pulling out clothes, reaching mostly for Bucky’s.

The brunet left to explore the apartment, searching for any extra blankets and pillows he could grab, because his wolf told him that Clint needed lots of materials for… well, he wasn’t sure, but all he knew was that Clint needed lots of soft things, and he was going to provide for his mate to the best of his abilities. So, with an armful of blankets and pillows that weren’t found in Nat’s bedroom (he was not about to breach her privacy by entering her private bedroom for anything), Bucky headed back to his and Clint’s bedroom.

“Okay, I have lots of blankets,” he announced. “A few pillows too.”

“Gimme!” Clint grinned, reaching out for them before starting to work them in with the other things he’d grabbed. Soon he had built up what could only be described as a nest, and he was finally able to relax, stripping off his clothes and settling down into his creation. “Alpha needs to be naked, too!”

Bucky blinked, impressed that Clint had undressed so quickly. “How come you never undress that quickly? You have no idea what that does to my wolf.”

“Hu? But I just did. Now it’s your turn!” Clint said, looking up at the alpha with big eyes as he reached out to tug insistently at the fabric of Bucky’s pants.

“Okay, okay, no need to rush,” the brunet chuckled. He started undressing as he spoke again. “You sure are needy suddenly, you know. I thought you were sick for a moment.”

“Maybe I am, but I can still be needy when sick. I don’t know what’s going on right now. Just doing what I get the urge to do as I get them, otherwise I feel I may start ripping things apart.” Clint confessed.

“Urges?” Bucky tossed the last bit of his clothes into the nest that Clint had made. “What kind of urges?”

“Like with the bedding...or tucking myself in close to people I trust...or getting out of the wide open room…” Clint said as he tugged at Bucky until he was climbing into the nest of bedding.

“Maybe this is a wolf thing, because you haven’t really acted like this before.” Bucky shrugged as he got comfortable in the nest. “Maybe your wolf is a full adult now.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s very hard to concentrate on anything other than what I have the urge to do.” Clint complained as he shifted to press tight to Bucky, shoving his nose into his neck. “...I’m also super wet…”

Bucky growled softly. "You that wet for me, omega?"

“Very,  _ very _ wet. Never been this wet…”

"It's not uncomfortable, is it? Because I didn't go through anything like this when my wolf became a full adult." Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay, well, maybe I did. I was more possessive than anything, snapped at anyone who got too close to me."

“I don’t want people around either… Except you because you’re my mate...and Nat was okay because she’s familiar like a sister...family...anyone else I don’t think I would have reacted well to getting too close.” Clint shook his head and pressed himself even tighter to Bucky, “It’s not  _ uncomfortable _ , really, just….uncontrollable? Embarrassing? Uh…”

Clint sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, “...My mind is getting fuzzy...like I had too much to drink….it’s getting harder to keep track of my thoughts…”

Bucky hummed, leaning in to nuzzle Clint’s jaw. “That’s okay, it happened to me too.” His wolf helpfully provided the word “rut” to his mind, though that word didn’t seem right for what Clint was experiencing.

“I doubt you got wet like this,  _ alpha _ .” Clint said, reaching back behind him and touching the obscene amount of wetness he was experiencing.

Curious, Bucky reached down, noting it was definitely more than Clint had ever been in previous intimate times. His wolf let out a pleased growl, his eyes phasing briefly into the wolf vision. “God, all this for me,” he purred.

“Well if it’s for you, you had better do something with it!” Clint gasped, his body shivering as Bucky’s fingers teased him with such a simple touch. “God,  _ please  _ do something about it…” 

Once again Bucky growled, this time more possessively than before as he shoved his face into the blond’s neck and bit down on the mark there.

Immediately Clint relaxed falling soft and pliant as the tension drained out of his body with a soft sigh of satisfaction.

All while keeping his teeth locked onto Clint’s neck, Bucky’s hands roamed over the exposed and sensitive skin, his touches feather light and teasing while still growling lowly. Bucky’s wolf was eager to take over, but the two of them had agreed no wolf during intimate times, at least not yet. Besides it did seem that Clint’s wolf was finally reaching the adult stage, so everything unfamiliar was probably a bit overwhelming.

Clint continued to relax, a sound leaving him that sounded more like a cat’s purr than anything, which seemed to suggest that it was maybe an omega thing rather than a wolf thing. Clint shifted as Bucky moved to touch him, opening up his body to allow his alpha easy access to wherever he wished to touch.

The brunet finally released his bite from Clint's neck, and instead he moved to kiss the blond while moving his body to keep Clint trapped underneath him. 

“Bucky, I—” Clint was interrupted when JARVIS suddenly spoke up. “Pardon the untimely interruption, but Thor sends his congratulations on your first heat, Mr. Barton, and has used one of the Stark robots to leave some supplies right outside your bedroom door as he assumed neither you nor Sergeant Barnes have prepared in advanced for the next couple of days.”

"Heat? That must be the omega counterpart to the rut I had when my wolf reached this stage." Bucky looked towards the door, though he didn't leave the nest quite yet.

“Don’t go.” Clint whimpered, clutching at Bucky’s arms, “I feel like I might cry if you leave me right now.”

"I won't be gone long," Bucky reassured, leaning down to nuzzle Clint. "I'll just be getting what Thor left us, and I'll be right back. I promise."

Clint swallowed and nodded, though it took him longer to let go of the alpha.

"Good boy," the brunet praised as he got out of the nest. 

Outside the bedroom was a fairly good sized container filled with the supplies that had been mentioned. Bucky brought it into the room while closing the door at the same time (thank god Nat wasn't home). The first items within the container were basic safe sex supplies, which Bucky silently thanked Thor for and some bottles of water, nutrition bars, and some more easy snacks. Beneath those were some absorbent pads for the nest, along with more blankets and pillows that were the softest things the brunet had ever touched. Finally, there were some stuffed wolves, which again were incredibly soft, that were probably thrown in with a bit of humour, but Bucky honestly thought they were cute and would look nice inside the nest.

“What’s all in it?” Clint asked, pushing himself up to look before he gasped and started grabbing up the soft items, crooning happily at the feel of them as he rubbed his cheeks against them before working them into the nest.

“Besides all the soft things you just grabbed, there’s some condoms, some snacks and water, and these pads that look like they could line the bottom of the nest. Probably to keep things clean.”

Clint nodded, continuing to weave the soft things into the nest and cooing over the stuffed wolf toys, fluidly moving as needed so that Bucky could put the absorbent pads down.

Once the nest was lined on the bottom and a condom was grabbed, Bucky settled back down next to Clint. “Feeling a little better now?”

Clint nodded, leaning into Bucky again, “Everything’s so soft.”

“Unbelievably soft,” the brunet agreed. “I trust Thor knows better than us what omegas like. Plus he gave us condoms, so I think it’s safe to say we’ll need those more now than before.”

“Well, I am wetter than normal...it’s like a fucking waterfall.” Clint pointed out, spreading his legs and pointing between them.

Bucky whined, pulling Clint closer. “Damn you smell good…”

“Nat said she could smell me. I probably reek of flowers.” Clint said, tucking his face into Bucky’s neck and hugging onto him.

“It’s floral, yeah, but sweet, like honey. It’s perfect.” Bucky sighed happily after taking in a deep breath of the scent.

Clint shifted closer to Bucky until he was sitting on Bucky’s lap, the wetness between his legs smearing onto Bucky as his goin pressed against Bucky’s stiff cock. “You’re hard.” he whispered.

“You made me this way,” the brunet hummed, his hands working to open the condom he had grabbed before getting in the nest.

“Want to use it to help me feel less needy?”

“Oh, I very much want to.”

“Please?” Clint whined into Bucky’s ear, “The wetness is starting to tingle.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” Bucky said. After putting the condom on, he moved Clint forward just enough so his cock was teasing at the blond’s entrance, his stomach getting coated with the wetness.

Clint blushed and wiggled his hips to encourage Bucky to go ahead and sink into him. He wasn’t worried about being prepped. He honestly felt like he had been prepped, his body ready for his alpha’s cock and knot.

Making sure he was in a good position to do so, Bucky eased his cock into Clint, groaning when he felt how easy it was to slip inside. His grip on Clint’s thighs tightened slightly.

The sound Clint made was a mix of a pleasurable moan and relieved sigh, his body settling even more as he realized just how desperately horney he was feeling. “Bucky…” he nibbled lightly along his alpha’s neck.

“Feel good, sweetheart?” Bucky purred, moving his hips slightly to push just a little deeper.

“Yes.” Clint slurred, “So much better…” he wrapped his arms and legs around Bucky, rolling his hips to further the movements inside him.

“Good. You want me to move? Or do you wanna do most of the work?”

“Move.” Clint responded, pulling back to look at Bucky, “And kiss.”

“Lucky you I can do both at the same time” Smirking, the brunet shifted the two of them around until Clint was on his back. Bucky kissed him while pulling his hips back slowly, teasing the blond as his wolf got more obsessed with the situation and let out a little growl.

Clint hummed, pulling his alpha wolf down to kiss him, his teeth a little sharper than human as he nipped at his lip. When he opened his eyes, they were more wolfish than human.

In reaction to Clint, Bucky’s teeth also got a little sharper, his eyes getting a little more wolfish. Sure, he wasn’t going to say no to anything if Clint begged for it, human or wolf. Neither of them really had an idea of what a heat for an omega werewolf was supposed to be like, but Bucky was going to roll with it, play by play. 

For the moment, the brunet just focused on moving his hips to get those little noises out of his mate that he lived for.

Clint gasped and moaned, soon losing himself to the sensations. He could feel his inner wolf’s excitement and drive for more as it pushed forward just a little more, and he let it. So what if he could feel his body in a partial shift. A tail and claws weren’t so bad, and for the most part he seemed to keep his human shape.

Seeing Clint let the wolf come forward a little more, Bucky let his own do the same, grunting at the rather slow shift that was happening. Cracking joints weren’t always the greatest things to experience while fucking your partner. But Bucky was able to push away the pain for the most part, and he just kept his focus on Clint, letting out quite wolfish growls while moving his hips.

“ _ Bucky—Alpha! _ ” Clint gasped out in a mix of both their languages as his head fell back against the wall of the nest, exposing his throat.

Bucky swore he had his wolf ears at that point, but again he didn’t care that much. His attention was suddenly very focused on Clint’s neck, the mark there practically begging to be bit and broken open again.

“ _ Alpha, rougher—please! Knot… _ ” Clint begged with a whimper as he tried to move himself faster and harder onto Bucky’s cock, though his position didn’t give him much leverage.

Something of a snarl came from Bucky’s mouth as he grabbed Clint’s arms and pinned them down, picking up speed and moving in a more desperate manner. His mind was running on wolf power, his human mind taking the back seat while keeping enough control to stay mostly human.

Clint gasped and moaned along with each thrust, happily accepting the treatment. It was satisfying to just let his alpha take full control and pound into him like an animal. He didn’t care what position he was in, so long as Bucky was inside him, settling the panicked need he felt otherwise.

It wasn’t long before Bucky’s wolf was demanding another position, unsatisfied with their current position, which surprised Bucky a little. But he let the wolf do what it wanted, allowing it to briefly pull out of Clint long enough to turn the blond over, and then he was right back to thrusting into Clint. His arms wrapped around Clint’s middle, keeping him on his hands and knees while Bucky mercilessly moved his hips.

Clint moved into the new position easily, his neck bared yet again in perfect submission and trust. His hearing aids fell out and bounced until they were lost in the walls of blankets as his ears also transformed to match his tail.

Okay, so the tail was a bit of a tricky thing to work around, but at least it wasn’t completely distracting Bucky. If anything, it was just tickling the skin on his stomach, and that seemed to pair quite well with the knotted up feeling of his stomach, a sure sign he was getting close to his breaking point. Still, the brunet charged on, growling and holding back the feeling of wanting to completely shift to full wolf. He could feel his face wanting to stretch, but he held back, allowing just the teeth to transform fully, and that was when he sank his wolfish teeth into the mark on Clint’s neck, breaking the skin unintentionally. 

“ _ Ah-h! _ ” Clint gasped out, his body suddenly going limp like a rag doll, even as he felt yet another fresh rush of wetness spill out of him, around Bucky’s thick cock that was starting to catch on his twitching rim.

Bucky was the only thing holding Clint up at that point, and he was doing his best to keep the blond up, but each thrust that brought him closer to orgasm was making his own legs weaken. Even when his knot started to catch, he couldn’t hold himself up very well, and soon his torso was pressing Clint’s into the bottom of the nest, their hips still partially in the air until Bucky thrust for the last time. He let out a throaty groan and closed his eyes as he finally reached his climax.

Clint let out a breathy moan of satisfaction as he finally felt himself being knotted. Then he gave a happy hum, his partial shift easing back to fully human. 

“Nice…” he hummed once words found him again.

Bucky grunted, letting the shifted parts of his wolf stay for a bit. He was too exhausted to focus on shifting back to full human, which was something that usually never happened to him after sex. Regardless, he fell onto his side, taking Clint with him and curling up with him.

Clint curled up, grabbing a pillow to snuggle as he lay in Bucky’s arms, tired but satisfied.

The blond's shoulders were scratched up a little, but so we're Bucky's, and he didn't seem to mind either. The more he relaxed, the easier it was to shift back to human, and he spoke again, voice rough from all the growling he did. 

"That was fucking amazing."

“It’s not over yet. Thor said a heat period can last between three to seven days. If you run out of supplies let me know.” JARVIS helpfully offered up the information.

"Three to seven days of the most amazing sex I've ever had? Damn." Bucky nuzzled Clint's neck.

It was then he realized that Clint's aids were no longer in, and therefore he couldn't hear. So, being helpful, the brunet searched for the aids in the midst of the blankets and pillows in the nest. Thankfully they hadn't gotten tossed too far away, so Bucky found them and set them in front of Clint's face.

Clint blinked at them, taking a moment to process what he was looking at before he reached out to grab one, fitting it into his ear, then the other, “Hi. were you saying something?”

"Just how amazing that was." Bucky smiled and kissed Clint's neck. "Plus JARVIS gave a little info. Said heats can last three to seven days."

“That long? I hope Nat won’t mind...we might get loud…”

“Agent Romanoff has already gathered her things and went to stay with Sergeant Wilson for the time being.” JARVIS spoke up.

“Did Thor mention how often Heats happen?” Clint asked.

“He said that he believes for you they will happen roughly four times a year, but he wasn’t completely sure as omegas on his own planet have them only once a year on average.”

"I imagine going through heats alone would be torture," Bucky thought out loud. "I mean my rut wasn't very enjoyable alone. Heats surely aren't."

“Thor had mentioned that Mr. Barton was very lucky to already have his chosen alpha to help him.” JARVIS confirmed. “He also said that your ruts will start lining up with his heats as you two become more insync with each other as a couple.”

"Fantastic. They’ve always been rough to go through alone in a dark room. Made me think I was going insane.” Sighing, Bucky hugged Clint closer. 

“Well, now you have me, and you can come grab me any time your rut starts. I’m sure it’ll feel just as nice as my heat when we’re together like this.” Clint wiggled his hips to draw attention to how firmly stuck together they were.

Bucky growled softly, nuzzling the blond’s neck. “Well, I don’t have to worry about that right now. My attention is completely on you.”

“I accept all your attention being on me.” Clint hummed.

“Good, because it’s gonna be on you until this is over.”

“Kinda don’t want it to be over…” Clint admitted, twisting his body so that he could press a kiss to Bucky’s lips.

The brunet indulged in the kiss, smiling as he did so. “After sex that good? Me either.”

“Yeah, about that, I have a pretty strong feeling that this is going to be a very sex-filled couple of days. Hope you have the stamina needed.”

“My wolf is ready to go, I’m more than ready for this.”

“Good alpha.” Clint cooed, kissing him again with the amount of passion that would usually start a round, rather than the usual lazy kisses they shared while waiting for Bucky’s knot to release.

Bucky allowed his teeth to get a little sharper once more, nipping at Clint’s lips while they kissed.

“Bucky...I love you. Cint muttered against his lips, “So much.”

“I love you too,” the brunet responded, smiling softly.

“You know,” Clint rested his forehead against Bucky’s, “My wolf is only really thinking of one thing right now, and it’s kind of getting hard to keep him under control so while I still can tell you should he take over...don’t forget the condoms. Wolf is wanting a pup...but we both aren’t ready to think about that kind of thing, so…”

“Don’t worry, I remembered to put one on before we got started, so I’ll keep remembering.”

“Good. Ignore me if I start talking about wanting to get pregnant. It’d be my wolf talking. If we try for a pup—kid—whatever, then we’ll talk about it beforehand.” Clint kissed Bucky’s jaw and snuggled in.

“Of course. Also we shifted quite a bit… I actually thought we were gonna go full wolf for a second.”

“Did we? I didn’t really notice. I just wanted your knot really badly. So happy you have one.”

“We did, quite a bit. I was actually holding back from full wolf. Had a tail, ears, teeth, pretty much everything but a fur coat.”

“Really? I guess we might just have sex in our wolf forms if we lose control durring a heat...or rut…”

“I mean I won’t stop it if it happens. Unless you want it to stop, then I’ll stop.”

“Still think human and wolf is too much nope for me, and I’d prefer to always do it human, but if we lose control...as long as we still have protection...I won’t be upset if we’re both wolves.”

“We’re always gonna be in the same form, otherwise it’s just weird,” Bucky said with a slight grimace. “I can promise you that.”

“Good.” Clint kissed him again and then wiggled his hips, finding that Bucky’s knot had started to go down. “...round two, or do you need more time to recharge?” he grinned.

“I’m ready for round two as soon as I put a new condom on,” Bucky replied with a smirk.

“Should I have JARVIS time you on how long it takes you to change it?” Clint teased.

"Please don't, it's already jarring enough to know that he's watching us."

“As always, what happens between you two in private situations such as this is deleted and the blank space in my memory is marked simply as ‘privacy deletion’, unless you ask for it to be saved.” the AI helpfully supplied.

"Still, you're in on the moment. I try not to think about it too much…"

“If it helps, I see through heat signatures and voice recognition. My being aware of what you two are doing is not the same as a peeping tom.”

"I guess it helps." Sighing, Bucky found that he was able to slip out of Clint, and thank god for the absorbent pads that were lined at the bottom of the nest. Needless to say there was quite a mess when the two were separated.

"Okay, just because I'm curious," the brunet started while climbing out of the nest and throwing away the used condom. "Did Thor say anything about getting pregnant? Like when it could happen and if there's a time where Clint wouldn't have to worry about getting pregnant?"

“He said that male omegas are only able to get pregnant during their heats, and that they have a very high fertility during their heats so unprotected intercourse during a heat period will almost always result in pregnancy. That rate is increased further if the alpha they are with is in rut. That is why he provided you with condoms from his own home planet which are made to not break during knotting.”

"Guess we'll need more of those, eventually. Sounds like we'll need them more when we're both in rut and heat." Bucky grabbed a new condom and got back into the nest, nuzzling Clint. "But at least now we know we don't have to use condoms all the time outside of heat."

“Yeah...that’ll be nice. You can stick it in any time we want…” Clint commented lewdly.

"And I'll always be up for it. I like getting you to make those cute little noises only I get to hear. Drives my wolf nuts."

“Well then.” Clint rolled over and spread his legs wide, “Lets see what kind of noises I make for you this time.”

Bucky only grunted in response, quickly getting the new condom on before getting between Clint's legs once more, eager to get started on round two.

* * *

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13

“I feel like a sticky mess.” Clint complained five days after his first heat started, rolling to the side of the messy nest and reaching back to touch his overly sensitive and swollen hole. His hips and lower back ached as well now that his heat had subsided and he wasn’t high on hormones or whatever it was that flooded his system during a heat. “I feel like I need a nice long soak in a nice hot bath…”

"Same," Bucky agreed. "Quick clean ups just don't deep clean very well."

Clint nodded and stood up, only to find his legs were like jello and he fell back over onto the bed. He flushed a deep red, “...I think you fucked my legs out of order…”

"I believe it," came the humored response. "Need some help?"

“Yes, at least until my legs start working properly again. How many days has it been, anyway?”

"Five, I think. Five amazing days spent loving you more than I ever have." Smiling, Bucky got out of the nest and picked up the blond. "To the bathroom?"

“To that big fancy bathtub with the water jets!” Clint agreed, “How’s your hips? Mine are sore so I can imagine yours as well?”

"Quite, I haven't gotten that much of a hip and thigh workout for a long time. But I won't complain much. I enjoyed every minute of being with you."

Bucky took Clint to the bathroom that had the large tub the blond had spoken of. Luckily Nat was still gone, and she was going to be until the couple emerged from her apartment. So Bucky had no problem stepping out naked with Clint in his arms, carrying him to the best bathtub in the entire apartment.

“We’ll make sure to have the water hot enough to soothe our aches away.” Clint said as he was set down on the edge of the tub. He leaned over and turned on the water, testing the temperature before plugging the drain so it’d start to fill. “What kinds of bath bombs do we have to choose from?”

“Looks like mostly flowery stuff, a candy scented one, and one that looks odd but has a label on it that says there’s a ring inside.” Bucky grabbed a few to show to Clint.

“Not the ring one, that sounds expensive and Nat probably has plans for it. Candy will only make me even more hungry so I guess one of the flower ones?”

Nodding, the brunet looked them over before picking one that was close to Clint’s scent. He unwrapped it and got into the water to settle down, keeping the bath bomb above the water until Clint was ready for it. 

Clint slipped into the bath and turned off the water when the tub was full. Then he settled back against Bucky and smiled, “Bombs away.”

Bucky smiled and dropped the bath bomb into the water, the colors from it bleeding into the water almost instantly. “It’s pretty,” he commented.

“Yeah, they’re nice. I’ve always wanted to try one. They say they are really soothing, and since we just had literal days of sex, that sounds really perfect, don’t you think?”

“Sounds more than perfect. Soaking in a nice smelling and looking bath with my omega? God, sounds like heaven to me.”

Clint smiled and curled into Bucky, as he reached over to turn on the jets. The heat and movement of the colorful, scented water soothed his aching body, and he found it much easier to just relax.

“Feel good for you too?” he asked his alpha.

"Yes, it feels very good." Bucky shoved his nose into Clint's neck and sighed happily.

“Good, good.” Clint purred, “Heat was fun, but I’m glad it doesn’t happen often. It’s exhausting.”

"It is. But I'm glad I got to enjoy it with you. I'll never let you go through a heat alone if I can help it."

“Yeah, that one time when you were in the bathroom when a fresh wave of need hit me was pretty bad until you were able to come join me again. Nearly a week alone would drive me crazy I think.”

"You've got me anytime you need me." Bucky wrapped his arms around Clint's torso. "And that goes for any reason at all. We're partners, mates, boyfriends, whatever you wanna call us. I will always be here for you."

“My wolf calls you my mate and my alpha..I call you mine.” Clint smiled, trending to kiss Bucky’s jaw. “And I am yours.”

"You'll always be mine," Bucky said fondly. "So long as I'm around and my mark sits pretty on your neck."

“It is pretty there, isn’t it.” Clint grinned, tilting his head to the side so that his mark was on display.

"It's beautiful… it's like your neck was always meant to have my mark on it."

“My favorite part of it is how it lets me always know you’re there, even if you’re hanging out with Steve while I’m off with Nat or Tony.”

“Like I said, always here for you, whenever.” Bucky smiled and nuzzled the blond with a happy noise that sounded more like it came from his wolf.

Clint chuckled and licked the underside of Bucky’s jaw as if he was in wolf form, “In risk of making this sound like wedding vows, I’ll always be here for you, too. Whenever.”

“By wolf standards, we’re already married. Wolves mate for life, you know.”

“I know, but I, this is a bathtub, not a wedding hall.”

“Some people don’t get married in wedding halls.”

“Are you saying you want to be married by human standards too, my mate?”

“Well… yeah. I think it’d be nice to have that.”

“Are you proposing?” Clint asked with a smile.

“It’s a bit untraditional… but yeah. I’m asking you to marry me, Mr. Barton.”

“FUCK YES!” Clint shouted, rolling over and throwing his arms around Bucky’s shoulders, “Yes, I want to so much.”

Water splashed all over with Clint’s movements, and Bucky grunted pretty loudly at the quick movement and sudden arms around him, but he couldn’t help but smile wide and hold Clint tightly. “I guess it’s time to find you a proper ring, then.”

“Yeah...and ask Nat to be my best woman. And…” Clint thought for a bit, “Can I take your name? Make us Mr. and Mr. Barnes? I’m not big on the idea of keeping my father’s name.”

Bucky smiled and hugged Clint tighter before pulling back to look at the blond. “I’m more than okay with that. Whatever makes you feel better about being married to me.” 

“I’ll be happy with you regardless of the name we choose. Shedding my father’s name is just a bonus. Finally able to escape that link to the man who hurt my mom, brother, and I.”

“You don’t have to think about him again with me. I know that’s easier said than done, but I don’t want you to think you have to keep reminding yourself what he did to your family. I’m your family now, your mate, and I want to make you happy.”

“I know.” Clint smiled, kissing him, “My handsome fianc é .”

Bucky hummed happily, the sound coming off as more a purr than a hum. “You’re pretty cute yourself,” he flirted.

* * *

“Hey Stark.” Natasha spoke up from the couch where she was laying down, her head in Sam’s lap as he flipped through TV channels, “You almost done with Clint’s floor? I love the guy but I want my apartment back.”

“Sure,” Tony replied with a bag of blueberries in hand. “If they want a pretty bland apartment with little decorating.”

“I think she means if it’ll be done before the next...what did Thor call it? Heat period?” Sam spoke up, only to yip and jump a little when Nat poked him with the blunt end of the knife she had been fiddling with. “What?”

“Sex marathon.” She stated, “It’s been nearly a week of them using my apartment for a sex marathon!”

“Hey, Thor said this was something very important for them to go through,” Tony pointed out. “Something about their biologies needing it in order to form a stronger connection to each other.”

“Thor also said he theorized that it would help settle their wolf instincts a bit.” Bruce said from the table he had papers spread across as he drank coffee and went over notes of whatever he’d been working on, “And I’m inclined to agree.”

“It’s still a sex marathon. I just want the next time to have them in their own space and not mine. You all know I value my alone time.”

“Yeah, we know,” Tony said while stepping closer to the couple on the couch. “I’m sure Clint and Bucky will be back with us soon. Thor did say a week was a normal amount of time for these heat periods.”

“I’m sure they’ve kept it all in their room.” Sam said, running his fingers through her hair, “And it has been nice to have you spending the week with me on my floor.”

The elevator doors opened and Clint stepped out, holding Bucky’s hand and looking worn out but relaxed, “Hey everyone.”

Tony looked at the elevator and smiled. “There they are, see, Nat? You can have your room back again.”

“We used one of your flower bath bombs to relax after everything. We’ll replace it for you.” Clint said.

“Don’t worry about it. Stark buys most of them for all of us.” She shrugged, “You look pretty put together considering how Thor explained what it was you were going through.”

Clint just shrugged with a grin, “My body is made for it after all. Where’s Thor and Steve? Bucky and I have something to tell everyone.”

"Steve is on the roof, drawing," Tony said.

"Thor had to return home for a moment," Bruce spoke up. "But I'm sure he'll come if we call him.

“We can fill Thor in when he gets back, but can we get Steve down here? He probably won’t like being left out on this.” Clint asked. “Can J send word up there or is he only inside the building?”

"JARVIS can reach the top of the building," Tony reassured. "Hey, J, tell Steve to get his butt down here."

"Right away, Sir," the AI spoke.

“You’re quite the romantic.” Clint teased Tony.

"Hey, he'll get down here quicker if I'm being feisty," the brunet said, amused.

“Not as fast as that time you called him when he was talking to Fury to tell him you were wearing lacy red panties.” Bruce said casually.

"Yes, that was a record time, wasn't it?" Tony laughed. "Maybe I should have said that today, he'd probably be here already."

“Hu, Captain America likes panties, hu?” Clint snickered.

“On me, yeah!” Tony grinned, “But his pervert side is only for me to see!”

“Should I try panties for you, Bucky?” Clint asked, smirking at the alpha.

"You suggesting you want to be prettier for me, omega?" Bucky questioned with a smirk.

“Aren’t you two sexed out yet?”

“For now, later’s another matter.” Clint shrugged, “It’s fun to excite Bucky.”

“Tony, you called for me, babe?” Steve asked as he walked off the elevator.

"Steve!" Tony turned around with wide eyes, a big smile on his face. "Of course I did, Clint and Bucky are back. I figured you'd want to say hello to them while they're still here with their paws off each other."

“We asked him to call you down, actually.” Clint said, “We have something to tell everyone.”

"We decided on some… important life decisions, I guess you could say." Bucky bit his bottom lip subconsciously while looking at Clint. "We're already mates as wolves, so… we decided we're going to get married as humans."

“Bucky proposed in the bath! I said yes and we decided to go ring shopping soon.” Clint grinned, practically bouncing.

“Woah, really?!” Sam exclaimed, sitting up straight. “Congrats!”

“Well I’ll be damned, Buck.” Steve chuckled. “Thought you’d wait a little longer to get hitched.”

“I’ve waited 70 damn years, I think that’s a long enough wait,” Bucky laughed.

Nat got up and pulled Bucky into a tight hug, whispering so only he could hear, “You hurt him, you’ll regret it.” she then let him go, patting him on the back and pulling Clint into a hug, “I’m so happy for you.”

“Did you threaten my future husband?” Clint accused.

“Only a little.” she winked.

“Well, now we’ve got an Avengers wedding to think about,” Steve said while patting Bucky on the shoulder. “No rush, of course. But it can just be us Avengers attending, nothing public so you guys are still safe.”

“Don’t you mean two? We are still planning ours!” Tony pouted.

“We do want it small and private. Just the Avengers and anyone else who is needed to make it official or whatever. I also am going to take Bucky’s name. Oh and Nat, you’re my best woman if you want to be.”

“Of course I want to be,” the redhead replied teasingly. “I don’t see anyone else who could take that spot in the Avengers.”

“Thor has the hair for it.” Tony smirked. Oh! We could have a double wedding maybe! What do you two think? Steve?”

“A double wedding sounds fun, but weddings are also special to the couple,” Steve pointed out. “I know modern weddings are a bit different than what Bucky and I are used to, but… I don’t know, what do you think, Buck?”

The brunet shrugged. “At this point I wouldn’t be opposed to sharing an anniversary date. It’d be hard for us to forget the date.”

“It’ll be great. Fancy and nice because, well, it’s me and Pep is our wedding planner. She’s great. But we’re making it small and private since Steve and I aren’t known to the public yet. Plus... _ two cakes _ !” Tony grinned, “And it’s not like each of us won’t get our special time together as couples.”

“And we wouldn't have to deal with popular media trying to get pictures of us,” Steve said with a nod. “Okay, private double wedding is starting to sound nicer. What about you, Clint?”

“I just want to be the Mr. Barnes to Bucky’s Mr. Barnes.” he admitted, “I don’t care if we share the day, and the guest list is pretty much the same, anyway, so why not?”

"Sounds like we're having a double wedding," Steve said with a smile.

“Great! I’ll set up a meeting with Pepper so we can work out details for you two and share with you what we already have planned.” Tony said, pulling out his phone.

Bucky smiled and looked down at Clint, leaning in to leave a little nip on the blond’s ear. “Kinda exciting to get married the same day as your best friend, huh?”

“Especially after that time a long time ago when I thought I’d never get married but would watch you get all ringed up by some dame.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Clint and I just got lucky that you two didn’t get snatched up before we got the chance.”

"I suppose we can thank fate for that," Steve said. "Had I not gone into the ice I would have never met you, Tony."

"And if Hydra hadn't held Clint and I as prisoners we would have never met," Bucky said rather flatly. Giving Hydra the pleasure of having the two if them meet wasn't exactly the best thing to think about.

“It was also their mistake.” Clint said, “Them putting us in the same room is what caused us to escape, making them lose two of their prized investments. I like thinking of the fact that they fucked themselves over.”

"This is why you never put two of your experiments in the same room. It's how Steve saved my life back in the war."

“You know I would have kept looking for you, Buck, even if you weren’t where I found you.” Steve said, his eyes looking like a puppy’s.

"I know, Stevie." Bucky smiled at his best friend. "I'm glad you found me."

“Thank you for not giving up on finding my alpha so that I would get to meet him seventy-ish years later.” Clint grinned.

"Thank you for taking good care of him while I still thought he was dead," Steve replied. "I'm glad he was able to warm up to you."

“Easy to do when he’s as hot as he is.” Clint joked, much to the groan of Tony, Nat, and Sam. “Anyway, who wants to play babysitter when Bucky and I go out ring shopping? We figure going out alone might not be the best idea right now.”

“I’ll come along,” Nat spoke up. “Anyone else might pick a ring too expensive or too cheap, not that the price of the ring matters. But I’m sure you’ll want something nice looking. Plus I know you two the most out of the whole team.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at her, “Bucky and I have grown up together. Pretty sure I know him better than you.”

“I know Bucky after Hydra better than you,” the redhead countered. “During Hydra as well…”

Steve opened his mouth to protest when Tony ruffled his hair, “Aw, are you jealous that your bestie went and made other friends?”

“I’m not jealous, I just—he’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were five.”

“Then war happened and I kinda became a new man. And also a wolf,” Bucky pointed out. “But you’re still gonna be my best friend, Steve. No one can take that place in my life but you.”

“You can both come if you really want to be bored while Bucky and I look at shiny things.” Clint offered.

Steve nodded, “I’d like to be there to support Bucky if he’ll let me.”

"Of course, I could never say no to my best friend." The brunet smiled while pulling Steve into a side hug.

Steve grinned.

“Well then I’ll give this to you, babe.” Tony said, handing him a card, “Whatever rings these two furry guys decide on.”

"You sure we can use this, Tony?" Steve questioned while taking the card.

“Steve, you know how overly loaded I am. They won’t even put a dent in it even if they get the most expensive rings they can find. And I show affection to my friends by throwing money around. It’s fine. Let your boy and his squeeze have some fun without worry about the cost.”

"If you're sure. You know how hard I find it to use your money sometimes.” Steve leaned down and kissed Tony’s cheek before looking at the newly engaged couple. “Alright, if you two are ready, and Nat, let’s go find a ring store.”

“And that’s how I know you aren't a gold digger. But I am trying to work on you being better at spending the money that is going to be ours, not just mine soon.” Tony said, closing Steve’s fingers around the card. “Buying stuff for others might help you with that more than if I sent you out to spend money on yourself.”

“I suppose so,” Steve agreed, smiling. “Sometimes I forget just how much money you actually have, despite being constantly reminded of it everywhere I look.”

“More than any one person rightfully needs, even after I throw it at charities and fund the Avengers.” Tony confirmed, wrapping his arms around his financ é , “Unless something drastically changes, we’ll never hurt for money, babe.”

"I'm not concerned about money. As long as I have you, I'll be happy." Steve kissed Tony's cheek with a smile.

“Aren’t Bucky and I supposed to be the sickenly sweet newly engaged couple here?” Clint teased.

Tony flipped him off, “Steve and I won’t relinquish our status as the top lovey-dovey couple in the avengers easily, new kid.”

"Eh, you two can stay in the spotlight," Bucky said. "Stevie always was dramatic anyways, throwing himself into fights just because he wanted to."

"Hey, I'm not like that anymore," the blond defended.

Nat scoffed. "I watched you charge shield first into baddie just so you could launch him 20 feet away. Trust me, you're still dramatic."

“You’ve paused our secret dates before in order to intimidate some shady looking guys away from doing shady business. Ended up getting punched in the face a few times.” Tony added.

"Okay… well I'm not as dramatic as I used to be, then. But I don't beat up every bully I come across now."

"Sure. You're more intimidating now," Bucky chuckled. "You tower over the bullies."

“I’m starting to think that you two are the bullies here and I should save Clint and myself from you. Come on, Clint, we’re running away together.” Steve joked, picking Clint up and tossing him over his shoulder before heading towards the elevator.

"Alright, I'll just take Tony then," Bucky said with a shrug. "I'm sure you won't mind me going in your place with him to pick out the perfect suit for your wedding." He smirked.

“Bullies deserve each other! Clint and I are going on a nice expensive date!”

“What is happening?” Clint finally spoke up, “Nat how’d this happen?”

"Beats me, Steve is completely different when his best friend is around," The redhead responded.

"Tony and I can go on nice expensive dates too," Bucky shot back at Steve. "He might let me fly in one of his fancy suits. Ever done that, Stevie?"

“Tony gave me my own suit, you know. One that actually fits. Good luck squeezing into one of the Tony-sized suits.”

“Okay, did that sound dirty to anyone else?” Clint asked.

Tony gave a dramatic sigh, “I don’t want to trade super hot super soldier fionc és, but if I must…” He pressed a button on the side of his watch and took a step back, arms out and legs spread. Seconds later one of his suits flew to him, assembling itself around him. As the faceplate snapped shut, Tony moved over to Bucky and picked him up, just as Steve had picked up Clint.

Bucky made a weird sound between a strangled noise and a squeak as he was picked up. He was surprised his feet even left the ground, but there he was with his whole body off the ground and surrounded by Tony's arms. "Okay, didn't see that coming," he grunted out after the initial shock passed.

“Neither did I.” Clint said.

“Eh,” Sam shrugged, “Stark’s picked up Steve plenty of times to drag him off for this or that.”

“He’s probably trying to make Steve jealous enough to drop Clint so that he can stop being jealous.” Nat agreed, “Come on, are we taking the puppers ring shopping or not?”

"Of course we are," Steve said. We're just waiting on Bucky."

"Oh whatever," the brunet wolf argued, throwing himself forward so he could escape Tony's grip. He landed with a thud on his feet. "You were teasing me this entire time, don't just deny that suddenly."

“Go spend money and get something nice for the both of you.” Tony nodded.

“You gonna put me down nice or do I have to get all bendy circus brat on you?” Clint asked.

"I'll put you down." Steve lowered Clint to the ground. "No need to fight me."

“I didn’t say fight, I said bendy.” Clint grinned, bouncing back onto his heels, “Bucky can confirm the extent of my bendiness.”

"Quite bendy," Bucky agreed, smirking and coming up beside Clint to kiss his cheek.

"Before this turns into a love fest, let's go," Nat spoke up, leading the group into the elevator.

“I don’t know, I kind of want to see the bendiness.” Tony smirked, lifting his face plate.

“Better luck next time.” Clint smirked back as he slipped his arm around Bucky, “Gotta put a ring on it.”

Bucky nuzzled Clint and sighed as the two of them followed Nat into the elevator, Steve getting in after them.

Nat rolled her eyes, “Hey Steve, how about you take the two love wolves into your guest room for the rest of however long it takes for their floor to be finished and ready for them to move in?” she asked jokingly.

“We’re not that bad.” Clint insisted.

“You two took over my floor for a sex marathon.” she poked him.

Clint shrugged with a smirk, “Couldn’t help it. But we did clean up and air the place out.”

“Oh okay, you can stay...but next time you want a week of sex with your boyfriend, take over Steve’s floor. Only fair.”

Clint laughed, “Steve’s floor is also Tony’s.”

“Exactly. It’s a penthouse. Very fancy.” she pointed out. “Probably has a tub the size of a pool.”

“Hmm, you make good points.”

"If you must have a week of sex on our floor, stay away from the showers please," Tony said. "I'd feel bad for whoever would have to clean up after that."

"Next time we need a week of sex, we'll hopefully have our own floor by then," Bucky responded.

“And more super soft blankets and things. I need to remember to thank Thor for the things he sent us for my heat.” Clint agreed. “But that week is over. Now we have an engagement to focus on!”

“Let’s stop talking then and get going,” James said with a smile.

Clint grinned as he grabbed Bucky's arm and pulled him into the corner of the elevator. 

"Alright you two," Nat said once they were in the elevator with the doors closed. "Don't get incredibly mushy on me or I'll make you walk home."

“No you wouldn’t, because you’ll give us a pass since we’re newly engaged and can’t help but be excited!” Clint grinned, “Plus I’m sure Steve wouldn’t let us get left behind.”

“He’s right, I’d stay with them and grab us a cab ride home.” Steve shrugged.

"Besides, I'm sure people wouldn't be too comfortable with seeing full sized wolves walk down the sidewalk without collars," Bucky pointed out. "We might get animal control called on us."

“I was planning to stay human while ring shopping.” Clint teased, “I’d take my collar otherwise.”

"Which is why I threatened to make you walk home, so you can behave yourselves." Nat smirked, loving the ability she had to give her best friend a hard time.

“We could get you back by sitting outside your bedroom at night howling.”

"I will take away all your blankets if you do that."

Clint gasped, “You can’t do that! It’d make me sad and it’d upset my wolf side!”

"I can do that, and I will if they're on my floor. Don't howl outside my door, and you get to keep your blankets."

“Then don’t abandon me for being lovey with my future husband!” 

Steve sighed, “Think we should grab the collars and leashes just in case?” he asked Bucky. 

Bucky shook his head. "Nah, we won't get extreme with our love in public. Some things deserve to stay private."

Steve nodded, “Alright. But you know, I don’t mind taking you two for walks like that. As long as you don’t get soaked and then tackle me again.”

“That was probably a one time thing,” Bucky said with a shrug. “We were too excited about the beach and the space to run around freely.”

“I may still tease you about it once in a while.” Steve smirked.

"We deserve that," Bucky admitted. "We really didn't need to jump on you and Nat after running through the cold ocean."

“Oh yes we did!” Clint grinned like a little shit, “It was completely necessary at the time!”

The doors opened and Clint led the way out onto the main floor, looking around the lobby area. It was his and Bucky’s first time there since that first day they arrived, as they normally came and went out the private back entrance connected to the private parking garage used only by the few people who lived in the tower. 

The guard posted nearby was giving him the side-eye, so he just flashed a grin at the guy and wiggled his fingers at him.

“I don’t think Tony’s lobby guard likes me, Nat.” he said.

Nat side eyed the guard. “He’s normally stiff when he’s working. Takes his job quite seriously.”

“Sure, cool beans and all that, but he keeps eyeing me up like I’m an ant leading my colony into his kitchen or something. I don’t think I look that out of place, do I? I mean, Bucky and I cleaned up and dressed in some of our nicer clothes rather than our travel-dirty clothes…”

“No, you look fine.” The redhead looked directly at the guard and narrowed her eyes just before they left the lobby. “Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll look into it.”

Clint nodded and moved to take Bucky’s hand again. “Um, so where about is the store of shiny sparkle finger things?”

“There’s a store about six blocks from here,” Steve said, pointing ahead. “I figured we’d just walk, but we can grab a cab if you really don’t want to walk six blocks.”

“You kidding? We’ve been cooped up for a week. Stretching legs is nice. Four of them would be better of course but that’d defeat the purpose of this outing. I’ll just go do some running around the track room on the workout and training floor once we get back.”

“I’m sure Tony wouldn't mind us stretching our wolf legs in one of those rooms,” Bucky said with a smirk.

“Not as good as the beach, but at this point my wolf isn’t picky.

“We’ll see about taking your two furballs out sometime soon again.” Steve said.

"Could take us out to the New York woods," the brunet suggested. "We'd get to explore the local area at least. We're mainly used to Canadian woods. My wolf at least had been itching to explore New York woods."

“Mine also misses the woods.” Clint agreed.

“We’ll see what we can do. It might not be Natasha and I, but someone in our group will do it, depending on who’s able to.” Steve nodded.

"Maybe Thor can go with us. That'd be fun." Bucky smiled. "He'd probably love romping around with us."

“He also gives great pets.” Clint agreed, turning to look at Bucky, “You know that thing he does with his fingers along the neck and jaw when play-petting? Feels so nice.”

“I swear he can reach all the right places to scratch,” Bucky said with a smile. “Feels so good after playing.”

“I feel we should be jealous of Thor now.” Nat said.

“He is seemingly stealing our best friends’ attention.” Steve agreed.

“Our wolves like who they like, and Thor gives the best pets.” Clint shrugged.

“You guys need to step up your petting game,” Bucky said, smirking.

Clint nodded in agreement, “Our wolves are us but also a bit more simple-minded, relying on instinct. People who give good pets are automatically friends.”

“Just be mindful around us when we’re wolves and moping around. Human emotions feel better to process as wolves. Or at least, it gives us an escape from human emotions.”

“Well, some of them at least. Love stays the same.” 

They got to a crosswalk and Clint paused, looking around, “Which way from here?”

“Left here,” Steve said. 

“How different is wolf love from human love?” Nat asked. “Or is it as similar as you seem to make it.”

“It’s very similar only there’s a certain level of ‘if you hurt my mate I’ll maul the fuck out of your face’. That we don’t have as humans since as humans we know violence isn’t always the answer.” Clint shrugged as he turned left.

“Wolves are quite territorial,” Bucky added as he too turned left with the rest of the group. “Of course, everyone knows that, but they never know the exact level of territorial. The day I met Clint and knew he was supposed to be close to me, I mauled Hydra agents so bad their blood splattered onto the ceilings. Nothing was going to stand in our way of escaping together.”

“My wolf was too new—too much a puppy to realize much. Too scared to do much, either. Bucky told me to run so that’s what I did. Didn’t see much of what he was doing until we were far enough away to rest a little.”

"Glad you didn't see most of it. It wasn't my proudest moment, if I'm being honest." The brunet shrugged while bumping his shoulder against Clint's.

“Don’t think it would have been a turn-off for me, if I’m honest. Those guys did turn me from a normal circus brat into a wolf guy without my consent. In hindsight I kinda wish I would have thought to bite the hand of the one lady who was there when I first fully shifted.”

"That would have been fun. Get delayed revenge on Hydra for turning you into a wolf."

“Eh, Steve will make sure they’re taken down for good, I’m sure. Punching Nazis is kinda his thing, historically speaking.”

“Technically I punch bullies. Nazis were just the first group of bullies I’ve punched after getting some meat on my bones. Before that it was just lowlives in back alleyways around Brooklyn.” Steve shrugged. “But yeah, we’re working on gathering intel so I can lead the team in to punch some Nazis.”

"Still a punk picking fights with big bullies." Bucky smirked at Steve. "Imagine how terrified they might be if you got the wolf in you as well. They'd shit their pants."

“Well I hope I don’t get wolfed up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a neat ability you two have, but I’d rather not get captured and used as an experiment by the very people I was originally recruited as an experiment to fight against.”

"The process of getting the ability to be wolf isn’t fun,” Bucky confirmed. “But still Hydra wouldn’t stand a chance against you as a wolf.”

They arrived at the jewelry store and Clint excitedly pulled Bucky inside, looking around at the many displays protected behind glass before he spotted the rings, and pulled Bucky over towards it to start looking at the options.

“Cuties.” Nat muttered as she watched them.

“They are rather cute together,” Steve said while stepping closer to Nat. “Didn’t think I’d ever get to see Bucky be excited to look at rings.”

She chuckled, “You’re such a mom sometimes, Steve.”

The salesman working the shop came out of the back room and smiled at the small group, about to greet them when his eyes lit up in recognition, “Holy shit, you’re Captain America! What can I help you with, sir? It’s an honor! Looking for something for your girlfriend?” he asked, his gaze shifting to Nat who was leaning against Steve’s side casually. 

Nat’s lips quirked upwards in amusement.

“Oh, no,” Steve said with a chuckle, a slight flush in his cheeks. “She’s just a friend. We came in with the other two. They’re the ones ring shopping.” He gestured to Clint and Bucky.

“Cap’s best friend got engaged to my best friend and they wanted us to tag along to pick out their rings.” Nat said.

“Ah, I see.” the shopkeeper turned to Bucky and Clint as he approached, “Congratulations on your engagement, gentlemen. What’s your budget for rings?”

“No budget, I guess,” Bucky said, looking up at the shopkeeper. “Just looking for something that relates to us, I guess.”

“No budget?”

“Stark insisted upon paying for the rings and told them not to get shy about the price tag.” Nat said. “Show them your best.”

“Of course!” It was clear that they were suddenly the man’s dream customers as he gestured the couple over to another display and pulled out a selection to start looking at. “Now, were you thinking traditional gold and diamonds, or are you thinking white gold or silver or other gem types?”

Clint shrugged, “I don’t much care what it’s made of so long as it’ll last and looks good on us.”

“Something durable. We tend to…. Spend a lot of time out in the woods.” Bucky shrugged. “What about if I had gold and you had silver?” he asked, looking at Clint. “It would compliment each other’s… hair.”

“That sounds lovely.” Clint smiled.

“I’d suggest white gold instead of silver. It’s a little more durable but still has a silvery look to it.” The shopkeeper pulled out two identical rings, “This one is silver, the other is white gold, so you can see just how much they look alike. Of course, the white gold is more pricey, but it seems that isn’t an issue for you two.”

Clint nodded, “If it’ll last longer then we’d go with that option.”

Bucky nodded in agreement. “White gold sounds better in the long run. Can we get designs engraved on the rings?”

“Depending on the band chosen, yes. The thinner the band, the harder it is to make it worth it. I’d say as long as you’re this thick or thicker on your band choice, you’d be fine getting them engraved.” the man suggested, “Custom designs are entirely possible as well. We’re a family business and we create all our pieces ourselves, so if you like a stone setting from one ring but want it on a different band then we can do it for you.”

Once again Bucky looked at Clint. “What do you think about that? Want plain bands or something with a little flare to them that would make them uniquely ours?”

“Ours. Something special that represents how special our relationship has been since the beginning. Also, do you have any stones that are purple? I know there’s diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, but do they come in purple?”

The man chuckled, “I’m sure we can set you up with something you’ll like.”

“I could have a sapphire in mine,” the brunet added. “Maybe tiny wolves howling to moons made of those stones?”

The man moved, grabbing a pad of paper and a pencil to start sketching a design for a completely unique ring working in Bucky’s suggestion before also sketching out a few more ideas he had based on the wolf idea. Then he turned the sketches around to show the couple “We of course can tweek things until you like them, but here’s some ideas if you want to go with a wolf theme on the rings.”

"Wolves are kinda our thing," Bucky said while looking over the designs. "I really like all of these. What do you think, Clint?"

“I’m finding myself drawn most to this one.” Clint said, pointing at one of the designs before looking up at Bucky with a smile.

"Same," the brunet smiled back. "Not too detailed, but enough to capture our thing for wolves."

The man nodded and made a note of that before going over materials, finalizing the design, and measuring their ring sizes before going off to calculate the cost. Steve paid upfront and they made sure the man had a way to contact them when the rings were finished and ready to be picked up.

"Well, looks like we'll officially have our rings soon," Bucky said while wrapping an arm around Clint's waist. "Can't get more official than actually getting married."

“But we can always get more lovey-dovey.”

“You two lovebirds want to get something to eat before we head back?” Steve asked.

"God yeah, I'm starving. I think I could eat a whole pizza at this point," Bucky said.

“Great, I have a place I’ve been wanting to try not too far from here.” Steve smiled, “You up for it, Nat? Clint?”

“Sure.” Nat shrugged and Clint nodded.

“I’m always hungry.”

“Let’s go before we get so hungry we go feral,” Bucky joked. 

“Funny, we wouldn’t want to cause a scene in public, now would we?” Nat asked.

* * *

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that bigwolfpup made a cover art for this fic and it can now be found at the beginning of chapter 1 if you're interested in seeing his lovely work!  
> We also have officially finished the rough draft of the final chapter of this fic, so updates will come from this point on based on how fast editing goes.


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